Rivalry VS Love
by Pam Elric
Summary: It was hate at first sight, you could say. With Sakura collecting the cards and Syaoran trying to beat her to it…is it the perfect recipe for disaster? When it starts turning in something more than just rivalry, though, will they take it? SxS, later ExT
1. Hi, I'm Kinomoto Sakura!

Hello everyone!! I worked hard to finish this first chapter since I wanted it to be the perfect start and to portray more or less how the story is going to go. I hope I achieved something XD

This is an AU story, by the way. Syaoran and Sakura have their same roles as in the series, with a slight difference: they are older. They're both 17 and in highschool…and well, I'll leave the rest to this chapter XD

**Disclaimer** – I do not own anyone from the CCS cast (I wish, though XD).

**Summary** – It was hate at first sight, you could say. With Sakura collecting the cards and Syaoran trying to beat her to it…is it the perfect recipe for disaster? When it starts turning in something more than just rivalry, though, will they take it? SxS, ExT

**Chapter 1 – ****Hi, I'm Kinomoto Sakura!**

"CANDY!!!!!" Sakura yelled as she came bursting into the room, carrying her backpack at her back and a bucket filled with candy bars and chocolates hanging from one of her hands. She raised the bucket high over her head for everyone to see and then a few of her classmates approached, high with anticipation, money in hand.

"Kinomoto! You better have white chocolate with you!"

"Oh I have it alright! I know you love it!"

"Oi, Kinomoto-chan!! Do you have the strawberry ones?"

"I have those on the bottom I think!"

"How much are these?"

"Which ones?"

"Hey, Sakura! Good morning!" exclaimed her best friend, the gorgeous black-haired Tomoyo, walking through the crowd of customers to meet with her. Sakura waved at her.

"Oh hello Tomoyo! Hey, I was counting our earnings last night and I have really good news!!" she answered, while she took money in payment from a blond boy that had taken a few chocolate bars.

"Really? What is it?" Tomoyo asked, half expecting her answer already.

"We're half way there! I'm estimating we'll have enough money in a couple of weeks and then we'll be able to afford it!"

"That's so great! I have news too!"

"Spill!"

"I already booked the school auditorium for next month!"

"That's great! I'll go tell Chiharu and the others!!!" Sakura exclaimed, running towards the rest of her friends while Tomoyo took over the candy sales.

_**Hi! My name is Kinomoto Sakura and I'm 17 years old! **__**I know what you're thinking, maybe I'm just some ordinary girl. I'm in the cheerleader team and we practice every Monday and Wednesday afternoon. Besides that, I keep up the good scores in class. Maybe not as good as the ones my friend Tomoyo keeps, but they're alright. **_

"That is so great, Sakura! I'm so excited about it!" Chiharu exclaimed as she was notified of the good news. Naoko and Rika looked equally happy to hear about it.

"I'm so nervous! It's the first time I'll be a model!" Naoko confessed. Sakura smiled at her.

"Don't worry, it's not that big a deal. Tomoyo makes me do it all the time"

_**Speaking of Tomoyo, she and I have been collecting money to organize an event for the school festival next month. It doesn't always have to be that big, but Tomoyo is quite the visionary one. She's planning on studying Fashion Design when she goes to college and she already has a very extensive portfolio, which we plan on displaying in the school festival. **__**Her mom wouldn't lend us any money, even though she has a lot, because she said it's important for us to learn how to earn it.**_

"Here, Sakura" Tomoyo said, handing her the bucket. Sakura took it and gasped.

"Oh my god! Half of it is already gone!"

"I know! Sales are really going nicely, uh?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Hey, can I eat those?!" came a small squeaky voice from Sakura's backpack. A small yellow head with big ears popped from inside it, staring at the candy bucket. Tomoyo shrieked and pushed the little character back inside with her index finger.

"Kero! You can't come out here!" she reminded in a whisper.

"And no, you can NOT eat these!" Sakura scolded.

_**So actually I'm not the ordinary type of girl. That was Kero, guardian of the Clow Cards. What are they, you say? They are part of my life now. I accidentally released them from a book my dad kept in the basement and now I have been assigned the task of finding and capturing each and every one of them. I have magic! I never knew until I met Kero, though. **_

"By the way, Sakura, that reminds me…" Tomoyo started, her eyes shiny "I already designed a new battle costume for you to wear when you capture your next card! And I bought new cassettes to record the moment!!!"

"Jeez, Tomoyo…"

_**Yeah, I know what you're thinking…weird, right? But I like her that way. She always makes me wear strange clothes when I go after the cards. I already have**__** 22 out of 51 Clow Cards I must capture and return to their original form. No wait…23…I captured The Wood yesterday…**_

"Good morning, everyone!" professor Terada said, as he entered the room.

"Good morning, professor!" everyone responded, as they went to take their seats.

_**Anyways…being a magician does not mean you don't have to go to class…**_

"I have news for you today" the professor said, as he placed his books on the desk and addressed the whole class "We have a new student"

"Oh, a new classmate. That's always interesting" Tomoyo whispered from the seat besides Sakura, who nodded in response.

"He is an exchange student from Hong Kong. His name is Li Syaoran and I hope you will all be nice to him since he's new here in the country as well. Don't worry, he speaks Japanese. Li, could you come in, please?" the professor said, just before the door opened and a tall boy entered the room. Sakura froze, feeling chills run up her spine as the feeling of his green aura invaded her. Wait a minute…he has magic too?

The boy had a very appealing image, though. His big amber eyes, even though serious as they looked, held the most intense gaze Sakura had ever seen in her life, and his messy chestnut hair added up to a very unique façade.

"This is him, everyone. There, Li, you can take that empty seat behind Kinomoto. Kinomoto, raise your hand please" the professor called, bringing Sakura back to earth with a harsh pull. She nervously did as she was told and Li walked towards her.

At first she thought she was imagining it, but then she was certain about it: Li was glaring at her. What for? She hadn't done anything. As he walked past her, though, he muttered something that deeply disturbed her.

"I know what you are"

Sakura jumped at this, turning around to watch him take his seat, patiently and with all the calm in the world. What had he meant by that? Besides, he seemed pretty confident about it. But how? Did it have something to do with the kind of magic he could use? Was he referring solely to the fact that she had magic too or was it something else?

The whole class went slower than ever. Sakura could feel him glaring at her the entire time, as if he had no other purpose in coming to school than to make her nervous.

Tomoyo noticed this, and since she had heard him mutter but hadn't been able to hear what he had actually said, she was beginning to worry. Not just because of Li's obvious dislike of Sakura, but also because of Sakura's disturbed look on her face.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"But why was he glaring at me?" Sakura wondered as she and Tomoyo walked back home together after school. Tomoyo looked deep in thought about the matter.

"Maybe he is just intimidated by very very very cute girls like you…"

"I reeeeeally don't think that's the problem, Tomoyo"

"By the way…what did he tell you when he walked past you? I heard him whisper something…"

"That's the weirdest thing, Tomoyo. He said he knew what I was"

"What you are? Do you think he knows you're after the Clow Cards?"

"I don't know. I mean, I'm sure he knows I'm a magician, I know he's one too"

"How can you tell?"

"It's in the aura" both girls jumped and turned around at the sound of his voice coming from behind them. It was him, Li Syaoran, standing just a few feet away from them, arms crossed and with determined glare.

"Li!" Sakura exclaimed. His frown deepened.

"You…you have Clow Cards, don't you?"

"How do you know that?!" she asked in disbelief. Li rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"I can feel it. Can't you?"

"Feel what?" Sakura asked, still really confused. Li sighed and reached into his pocket. Both Sakura and Tomoyo gasped as he pulled them out: Clow Cards. He had Clow Cards.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" yelled Kero, as he flew out of Sakura's backpack "How come you have those?!" he inquired. Li just stared at him, his expression deep in confusion.

"What the hell are you? A flying stuffed animal?" he asked. Kero blushed and frowned.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING STUFFED ANIMAL?!"

"He's Cerberus, the guardian of the Clow Cards" Sakura announced. Li looked shocked.

"That flying bean bag is the legendary guardian of the sun, Cerberus?"

"STOP THAT!" Kero yelled annoyed. Sakura frowned.

"How many Clow Cards do you have?"

"I have ten of them"

"Why?"

"Because I intend on becoming the Master of the Clow Cards. That's why I've come to Japan"

"But…but I'm supposed to become the Clow Mistress!" Sakura claimed. Li smiled evilly at her.

"Oh…we'll see about that"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Whooooo!!! I finally finished it! I know it's kinda like the series but since I'm sort of rewriting the original story in my own way, it had to be that way. The rest of them will be different XD Please tell me what you think!!!


	2. My name is Li Syaoran

**Greetings! I'm happy to see people reviewed the first chapter! I was a little nervous since I chose such a different curse of writing now…I mean, to what I'm used to writing. Anyways, I'll get to answering the reviews.**

**KamichamaKarinLover25**** – I know, he's acting evil! But let's see how the story turns out later on. In this chapter, sadly, he's still evil xD**

**Jennycuenca**** – Then you're lucky because that's exactly what this is XD**

**Rubbish**** – Of course I always answer the reviews! And about what you said…I think Syaoran was able to seal cards in the anime too. I may be mistaken, though, but I think he has the power to seal them with his own magic rather than using the key. **

**Angelica**** – Oye yo tampoco me había dado cuenta de que tu eras Latina XD así que estamos a mano. En fin, todos mis fanfics son más románticos que otra cosa, pero va a tener aventura también, estoy como reescribiendo el anime a mi manera XD y sobre lo de que las cartas están en Hong Kong…no es así, y coincidentemente Syaoran explica eso en este capitulo XD**

**Fluffieluver**** – Thanks! XD**

**SakuraJade**** – Thank you! I had that idea the other day. I don't know if all the chapters will be like this, but I have a few planned on that scheme. I hope you keep enjoying it!**

**And now on to the story!!!**

**Chapter 2 - My name is Li Syaoran**

"CANDY!!!!" Sakura yelled as she came into the room that morning. It was turning into a daily thing as she and Tomoyo saw how much profit they could get out of it. Besides, the school festival was getting nearer and nearer and they needed a lot of money for what Tomoyo wanted to do.

Li Syaoran watched her get into the room and frowned.

_**My name is Li Syaoran and I'm 17 years old. Maybe you're wondering about me and my presence here in Japan since I'm not from around. As I said, I'm Li Syaoran, descendant of Clow Reed and heir to the Li Clan in Hong Kong, China. It sounds all elegant when you say it like that, but I have yet another ambition: To become the Clow Master, after I capture all the Clow Cards and conquer their power.**_

Sakura was cheerfully charging for her candy when she sensed his intense glare on her and felt chills all over her body. Turning to look towards where Li was sitting, she noticed he wasn't the least worried that she had noticed his stare. He just kept on staring at her, as if he meant to threaten her, to remind her why he was there and who she was. _She frowned__ I can't believe my luck..._

_**Yet, I can't achieve my goal without somehow getting rid of her. That's Kinomoto Sakura, and has been chosen by what appears to be Cerberus (though I'm still doubting that) to be the future Clow Mistress. Still, I think that stuffed animal won't have another choice than to accept me if I beat her to it.**_

"Good morning, Li" the boy jumped and turned to come face to face with Tomoyo, who was kneeling on Sakura's chair and leaning on Li's desk, staring at him sweetly.

"What the hell? Aren't you Kinomoto's best friend?"

"Of course I am"

"Then why are you saying hello to me? I'm her enemy!"

"You're her rival. That doesn't mean you two have to be enemies. Or us, for instance"

"You're weird" Li responded simply, raising an eyebrow. Tomoyo giggled.

"Look who talks"

"What the hell are you implying?!"

"Li, you're such a sweet guy"

"What?!"

"You're not the mean person you intend us to believe you are" she whispered, winking an eye at him and then getting up and walking towards Sakura. Li just sat there, frozen, looking at her leave.

_**Daidouji is just as weird as that Kinomoto girl. But I don't really care about any of them. All I want are Kinomoto's Clow Cards. I'll add them to the ten I have and keep up looking for the rest of them. Besides...how many can she have up to now, anyways? Like five? I already have ten, since I have been in Tomoeda for over a month by now, but now my mother insisted that I started going to school here so I wouldn't get behind on my education. Whatever, I'll keep a low profile.**_

Li continued to stare at Sakura while she chatted nervously with her friends. He supposed she was still aware he was watching her.

_**There's something about Kinomoto... She's a lot different from what I was expecting her to be like. Heck, I was expecting a guy. It would've been a lot easier to fight my way to the Clow Cards. But a girl... that changes everything. And on top of that, a pretty one. Hell, what am I thinking?! Like that matters, for instance. She could look like a damned goblin for all I care!**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Hey, Li!" greeted Yamazaki, as he approached the boy. Li was sitting on a bench, waiting patiently. It was PE class and they were playing basketball, girls against girls in one court and boys against boys in a different one. Li hadn't had a chance to play _Just because they don't know how good I am. If they knew, they wouldn't have me here on the bench_ he thought.

"Hey to you, too, Yamazaki" he responded. Yamazaki took a seat next to him.

"Have you ever heard about the origins of basketball?" he asked. Li turned around and stared at him in disbelief.

"No...Do you?"

"Of course I do. It's all about seals"

"Seals?"

"Yeah, you know how they can balance stuff with their noses? People used to watch seals balance round stuff like that and pass it on from one seal to another. Of course, seals couldn't dribble, but that was the human invention part"

"You mean basketball was actually invented by seals and copied by humans?"

"Exactly!!"

"Jeez..."

_**This Yamazaki character is quite the curious type. He seems all cheerful and light-headed, but he actually knows a lot of stuff about practically everything! Just exactly where did they dig this guy up from?!**_

"Oh look! Sakura just scored!" Yamazaki exclaimed, pointing at the place where the game of the girls was going on. Li turned quickly in that direction and frowned. Sakura had, in fact, scored for her team, and was jumping around happily, the rest of her friends cheering.

"She's actually the best in almost every sport" Yamazaki added, making Li turn towards him instantly.

"Really?"

"Yes, nobody beats her. She's fast, she's agile, she's strong, she's the real deal! Her best is gymnastics, she really does have style for that" Yamazaki explained "That's why a lot of people here know her and admire her a lot. She's really popular. Besides, she's very cute, don't you think?"

_**I couldn't stop myself from thinking that she actually was a really cute girl. But hey, before being the heir to the Li Clan and all of that stuff I mentioned earlier...I'm a guy. I guess I just can't stop myself from thinking those kinds of things. Besides...it's not like I like her...does Yamazaki like her? I mean, with all his speech he kinda sounded like he did.**_

"Do you like her, or what?"

"Oh, no. I really do enjoy being with her, though, we're good friends. There are more girls here, you know?"

"What, like Daidouji?"

"Not really, but Tomoyo is also an interesting girl, you know?"

"What? Another athlete?"

"No, Tomoyo is more the intellectual kind of girl. And she's a musician. She has a very beautiful voice and plays the piano. She's also a designer, she loves making clothes of her own. Sakura often serves as her model"

"Creepy"

"I don't think it is. Tomoyo has a really good taste for that kinds of things"

"Whatever" Li replied, just as someone called him.

"Hey, Li! Kimura is going out, care to come in?" one of the guys that were playing basketball told him. Li grinned.

"Sure" he said, waving at Yamazaki and then running towards the other players. Yamazaki crossed his arms in front of his chest and waited, anxious to see how Li could handle sports.

_**So he thinks Kinomoto's the 'real deal', uh? I'll show him an athlete!**_

As the game started again, Li ran towards the guy on the other team who had the ball and took it away from him with almost no effort.

"Way to go, Li!" Yamazaki cheered from where he was. Sakura heard this and turned towards the game.

Li ran towards the basket, dribbling the ball away from anyone who dared try to take it away from him. Sakura crossed her arms in front of her chest and her eyes narrowed. She has an analytical expression on her face as she saw him advance.

Li jumped. His jump did not only showed strength and agility, but also grace and strategy. In no time, he had scored two more points. Everyone in the team cheered for him.

"AWESOME!!!"

"THAT WAS WICKED COOL!!!"

"What the hell was he doing sitting on the bench?! He's a pro!" Li smiled at all of this comments and turned to look at Sakura, with his hands on his waist and an arrogant smile plastered on his face. Sakura merely frowned at him.

"Impressed, Kinomoto?" he asked. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"At your lack of team spirit and arrogance? I think not" she stated simply, turning her back on him and going back to her own game. Li raised an eyebrow, his whole facial expression changing dramatically from satisfied to annoyed. _WHAT THE HELL??!!!_

"Come on, Li! The game's started!" someone yelled at him from behind. He decided he would leave the matter for now.

_**THAT GIRL! Who does she think she is?! She can't talk to me like that! The nerve of her! Fine! Let her think she's better! **__**I'll teach her! I'll let her watch me turn into the Clow Master! **_

_**A**__**nd then we'll see who's the arrogant one!**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Well, another chapter out. I hope you like it, please review!! More action coming our way now!


	3. I'm Daidouji Tomoyo

**IMPORTANT NOTE** – Well, since Rubbish already pointed it out, I think there's a need to explain. Yes, Syaoran can't seal cards in the original series. But here, he is able to XD It's just that…Syaoran being able to seal cards is very important to the plot of the fanfic. So he is able to. He uses his sword, as an equivalent to Sakura's staff.

Anyways, in other matters…I wanted to tell you I'll be posting art for this fanfic and my other fanfic in my deviant art homepage. So for anyone who wonders if I know how to draw…you can go to my deviant XD my author page has a direct link that says HOMEPAGE and takes you there. Although soon it'll take you to MY personal homepage, but I'm still working on that. Anyways…I'll answer the reviews xD

**Rubbish** – Well, I hope the Important Note sorted this out XD Thank you for your observation, it was actually very helpful. And yeah, Syaoran's got to melt someday, right? Thanks for being so supportive!

**Angelica** – Gracias por la aclaracion, ya corregi el nombre en el otro capitulo tambien. Que bueno que te guste, me seguire esforzando.

**SakuraJade** – Yeah I usually update fast. That's gonna change a bit soon because of school projects and midterm exams but I'll be back in no time, really. I'm glad you're liking it, I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

Oh and before I forget! It may be longer than I expected before I post the **Epilogue **for my story **Friend of a Friend**. So please be patient. I have a huge school project coming up, so we've got loads to do here. I may not update this one either in a while. I'm not sure, but I just wanted to let you know in case that happens.

Anyways, on to the story!

**Chapter 3 – I'm Daidouji Tomoyo**

"CANDY!!!!" yelled Sakura, as she burst into the classroom, just like every morning now. Tomoyo jumped from her seat.

"Oh, Sakura! I love your enthusiasm!" she exclaimed. Sakura blushed.

"Yeah, well, I'm doing my best"

"We're going to throw the best fashion event ever!" Tomoyo said with starry eyes. Sakura hugged the bucket of candy and smiled widely at her comment.

"Cheers to that!" she added.

_**I'm Daidouji Tomoyo, Sakura's best friend ever. I'm currently 17 years old and I can't think of anything else better than what I have right now. I'm friends with Sakura, and she's like…the coolest friend ever!!! She even has magic! She's a card captor, and her quest is to capture all the Clow Cards to become de Clow Mistress. And every time she goes off to capture the cards, she wears my designs and lets me tape her!**_

"I was thinking we could start buying stuff for the decoration" Sakura suggested, putting her bucket on top of her desk and taking her seat. Tomoyo took the seat next to hers.

"It sounds good! Since we have it already planned, I could start checking what we can afford with the money we have up to now" Tomoyo answered, putting her left index finger on her chin, her expression changing as she went deep into her thoughts. Naoko then came towards them.

"Oh, I can help too! I can design the entrance tickets!" she exclaimed.

"That's a great idea!" Sakura replied. Tomoyo nodded.

"I think Naoko will do a great job"

_**Lately we've been busy with the event we want to hold, Sakura's helping me collect funds for the fashion event I want to do for the school festival. Sakura, Naoko, Chiharu and Rika will be my models, of course, and they're very excited to do so. I'm also very excited since they'll be wearing the clothes I make! **_

"Good morning, Li!" Yamazaki exclaimed, as Li came into the classroom, with his usual bad mood. Tomoyo turned to look at him and waved hello with a smile. He just snorted and went to take his seat.

_**Li Syaoran…he's such and interesting guy! He wants to look so tough when I'm quite sure he really is a very sweet person. I don't think he can keep up with his 'I hate Sakura' act for too long now. Nobody hates Sakura, she's such a cute and enthusiastic girl…I wouldn't be surprised if he even started liking her too much…if you get my meaning…**_

And the day went on without much difference…until the night came…

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Sakura! Watch out!" Kero yelled, as sand shot out towards the girl, who was flying with the help of her staff. Sakura evaded the hit, but it was too close for her own good.

"Oh my god, what can Sakura do now?" Tomoyo wondered, holding her camera up at all times, recording the event. Sakura was wearing, as usual when she battled, one of Tomoyo's custom made outfits. It consisted in a sleeveless dark pink blouse with decorations around the neck. It went to a couple of inches over her belly button and the fabric fell gracefully from one side all the way to her thighs. She wore a red skirt and red gloves, along with dark red boots up to her knees.

_**Since it is still just the beginning of the fall season, it isn't very cold outside, so I decided to make the outfit with less fabric than the amount needed for a cold weather. **__**Am I a genius or what? Of course I had to tape my precious Sakura in battle using my design!**_

"WATERY!!!" yelled Sakura, as she landed on firm ground and used the water card to attack the monstrous wave of sand directed at her.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING SAKURA??!!!" scolded Kero. But before he could keep complaining about Sakura soaking the sand wet, she took the next step of her attack strategy.

"FREEZE!!!" she yelled, using yet another card. The sand was already wet, so this spell had great effects. Soon, a big wall of frozen sand stood before her. Tomoyo ran towards her, making sure she would get a nice and clear shot of her friend sealing the card.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be in! CLOW CARD!" Sakura exclaimed, raising her staff to seal the card, which slowly shrunk its magical power into the glowing form of a Clow Card. Once sealed, the card flew directly into Sakura's hands. The whole scenario cleared of sand, and the King Penguin was revealed in its center.

"The Sand…go figure…" she commented, with a smile. Kero flew towards her cheerfully.

"That was great, Sakura! There is no doubt you have improved a lot! Your cunningness has increased! That strategy was far beyond what I had been expecting of you!"

"Oh come on, Kero! Don't exaggerate!" Sakura said, blushing slightly and scratching the back of her head shyly. Tomoyo, who was still taping, giggled at this.

"Don't be so modest, Sakura! You are actually a better magician now than when you first started collecting the Clow Cards. And that was one hell of a fight! Brilliantly spectacular! This video is golden!!!" she exclaimed, making Sakura laugh nervously.

_**Don't misunderstand me. It's not like I don't take it seriously. I know Sakura is in danger every time she confronts a card. Still…Something deep down in my heart always keeps me confident. I know she will always return safely, because Sakura was born with all the luck of the world on her side, and the strength of her pure heart keeps her going. There's no reason for me to ever doubt her.**_

Just then, as Sakura chatted with Kero about what had happened during the battle, Tomoyo raised her head and saw Li. He was standing on the branch of a tall nearby tree, arms crossed and neutral expression on his face. His eyes met Tomoyo's and she smiled at him.

_**Funny…I wonder if Li has been spying on Sakura just to learn the way she fights…I still can't see evil in him, though. I have seen the way he acts with others and I maintain my theory that he's not a bad person. Maybe a little too cocky for his own good…but not bad.**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Sakura and Tomoyo walked cheerfully down the street, chatting and drinking lemonade. It was a Friday afternoon, so they had time to stroll and just relax away from school duties.

"I guess we still have another week for relaxing…because after next week, it'll be two weeks for the school festival and we will be dead busy!!!" Sakura exclaimed with enthusiasm. Tomoyo giggled.

"You're right, but I think we are going to have lots of fun"

"Of course! That's the whole point. If we don't have fun, it won't be worth it"

"It's all about doing stuff we like, after all. Still, I'm very thankful with you and the girls for helping me out with this"

"Oh, don't mention it, Tomoyo! We're all friends! And you're my best friend! I would do anything for you!" Sakura assured with a bright smile that made Tomoyo very happy.

_**Isn't she the sweetest?! No wonder why almost every guy at school falls head over heels for her! Still, not one of them has proven to be worthy of Sakura's affection. Yeah, I know I'm changing the subject, but it's true! Sakura hasn't even glanced twice at any guy at school that has tried to court her. She's just too out of it, you know? She's not really interested in flirting with guys and I totally understand her. She's more the kind of girl that will surely fall in love with someone someday and then that'll be it. I wonder if that'll happen for me too…I haven't really met anyone of interest either…**_

Tomoyo jumped as she heard Sakura gasp next to her. Sakura stopped walking all of a sudden, her eyes wide and her gaze lost.

"Sakura? Is something wrong?" Tomoyo asked in a worried tone. Sakura frowned.

"I can sense a Clow Card just near here…"

"It's over there!" Kero said, popping out of Sakura's handbag and pointing at a boutique just a few meters ahead. Sakura nodded.

"Let's go!" she exclaimed, running towards that place. Tomoyo quickly got her camera out of her purse and followed her, tapping her every move with an excited expression of her face. She, after all, loved to do that.

_**Oooooh! Sakura's going to battle again! I love being here for her when she does, I feel that it makes our friendship stronger every time we overcome this kind of incidents together. And I say **__**'we' because I always stand by her, supporting her and reminding her that everything will be alright. Sakura needs to be supported because it cheers her up a lot to listen to people that believe in her. That's the whole source of her strength. The people she loves. And I'm proud and happy to say that I am one of those people. **_

The two girls entered the boutique, and found themselves to be inside a men's clothing store. It was actually a very expensive one, so there weren't many people inside. They looked awkward, though, because two girls didn't have much business in a place like that.

Suddenly, they spotted someone familiar…

"Oh look, it's Li!" Tomoyo said, pointing at him without putting her camera down. Li turned towards them immediately as he heard his name being mentioned, frowning at the fact that they were there.

"You!" he said angrily, referring to Sakura. Sakura pouted.

"Don't say it like that! I hate it that you dislike me so much, I haven't done anything bad to you!" she scolded.

"You're trying to steal that card from me!"

"It's not yours!"

"Sakura! Stop fighting and look for the exact place! That card is somewhere inside here…" Kero reminded. Sakura nodded at him and then glanced at Li quickly before closing her eyes and concentrating on it. She found it. It was inside the dressing rooms.

"It's in the dressing rooms" Li pointed out, rolling his eyes. Sakura growled.

"I KNOW THAT!"

"Let's go, Sakura!" Kero exclaimed. Sakura and Li ran towards the dressing rooms, receiving an odd look from one of the people that worked there, with Tomoyo following them close behind. Once inside, they noticed the card's power came from one of the rooms.

"In there!" Li exclaimed. Sakura rushed to open the door and entered, followed by Li and Tomoyo. Once inside, she gasped.

It didn't look like a dressing room at all. It was way bigger. It was huge! There was room in there to fit a whole park. But instead, what they had in front of them was a vast set of walls…it was…

"A Maze!" Tomoyo exclaimed

"THE Maze" Li corrected. Kero flew out of Sakura's handbag.

"Sakura, we have to reach its center to seal it. That way you will have conquered The Maze" the small guardian explained. Sakura nodded and grabbed her magic key.

"Kew of Clow! Power of Magic! Power of Light! Surender the one, the force ignite! RELEASE!!!" Sakura yelled, her key immediately turning into a staff. Li narrowed his eyes at her.

"That won't do" he warned, taking out a very curious looking pendant. Sakura and Tomoyo both gasped as they saw him turning it into a sword.

"Quickly, Sakura! We've got to beat that guy!" Kero reminded. Sakura reacted and pulled a card out of her handbag, throwing it in front of her.

"FLY!" she yelled, touching it with her staff. A pair of wings grew on the staff, and Sakura mounted it.

"That's a great idea, Sakura! You'll fly over the maze and get to its center in no time!" Tomoyo exclaimed, as Sakura rose from the ground into the air. To her dismay, though, the walls started to grow, stopping her from reaching her objective. At the end, she had to go back down, defeated.

"Jeez…I really thought it would work…" Sakura said, disappointed. Li snorted at this, catching their attention immediately.

"Of course you can't beat The Maze that easy, you stupid girl" he said. Tomoyo and Kero immediately frowned at this, annoyed at Li for being so rude with Sakura. Sakura crossed her arms.

"I see they don't teach you manners in Hong Kong"

"What the hell are you implying?!"

"I don't know, you stupid boy" Sakura replied, obviously pissed. Li was getting angrier.

"That's it! I'm not taking anymore of your bullshit!" 

"And what are you going to do to me? Keep insulting me? It's nothing coming from a guy like you!" Sakura warned. Li and her exchanged angry gazed for a moment before he merely grinned at her, a mischievous expression taking over his features.

"I'm just going to do what I do best" he said, pulling a Clow Card out of his pocket. Kero gasped at the sight of it.

"Oh no…"

"Through!" Li yelled, throwing it to the ground and touching it with the point of his sword to use its powers. He then turned at Sakura with that same horrible grin of his "See ya" he said, running towards one of the walls and going right through it, as if his body was that of a ghost.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Oh my…" Tomoyo simply said, knowing that nothing good would come out of this. Kero was completely scandalized.

"Sakura, we have got to do something fast!" he yelled at her.

"I know, Kero! But what can I do?!"

"Think, Sakura! THINK!"

"I…" Sakura thought of the cards she had...What could she do? Which one could she summon to get ahead of Li?

"Sakura, why don't you try destroying those walls?" Tomoyo asked, as a suggestion. Sakura looked at her and smiled.

"Right!" she said, taking out another card and throwing it in front of her "THUNDER!" she yelled as she touched it with her staff, a powerful thunder shooting right at the wall. Once it collided with the wall, it blew it into pieces.

"That's great Sakura! Let's go!" Kero exclaimed. They quickly ran through the whole thunder had made, but as the walked, suddenly everything began to change. The walls began to shift forms, creating a bizarre image all around them.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked. But before she could get her answer, they were suddenly transported to a very small room. Sakura immediately recognized it.

"We are…inside the dressing room" Tomoyo said. Sakura turned around and saw Li standing there with them, sword in hand, holding The Maze card in front of him with a grin.

"And the best guy wins" he said, putting out both, his sword and the card, and turning around to leave. Sakura lowered her face, directing her gaze to her shoes, her eyes shadowed by her bangs. Tomoyo turned her camera off with dismay.

_**I guess I won't be saving this video**___

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

There goes another chapter XD This one's longer, I know. I hope you liked it, please review!


	4. Detention

Hiiiii!!! I'm back at last!!! Last week was a nightmare, but now I'm back to having some spare time to write! And I can continue this story.

By the way, I'm making a CCS doujinshi too, in case anyone's interested. I'm gonna upload it at my deviant art page soon.

**http / thepam . deaviantart . com **

Ok, enough of the publicity XD now I'll answer the reviews for the last chapter.

**Rubbish** – Lol, I think I'll answer both, your last review for Friend of a friend and this one, since you seemed so interested in the response. I think your Spanish will get better if you practice, you can try talking to me in Spanish whenever you feel like it XD And thanks for checking out my drawings, I really appreciate it!! Oh and for the important note…I just had to do that, it seemed fair XD And you were right about the next chapters. Oh, and thanks for calling me a 'great writer', I'm so flattered! n///n

**SkyeVerya** – Lol, you want harsh? Check out this chappie XD I know I'm evil…Oh and thanks for reading Friend of a friend too!!! Thank you so much for your time!!!

And now on to the story!!!

**Chapter 4 – ****Detention**

"That's it, Sakura!!!" yelled Kero, heatedly "It's the true form of THE SONG!!"

_**Yes, here I am again, sealing cards. I mean, I have to keep going. I know what happened back then at the store with Li was sort of discouraging, but Tomoyo made me see I couldn't give up that easily. I can still overcome anything I go against!!! Even Li!!!**_

Sakura ran over there next to him. She was wearing a dark blue tank top with small wings on the back, showing her belly, and long loose pants with light blue designs on them, light blue hairpins with the sape of two hearts holding her hair back on both sides of her head. It was, of course, courtesy of Tomoyo.

_**It's late at night and a card had been appearing at school. Of course we had to come at night, because the school is crowded by day.**_

"You have to seal it now, Sakura!" yelled Tomoyo, who held her camera high in order to take the best shot she could manage. Sakura nodded, turning back to the card, which now took the form of a beautiful woman, and raised her staff high over her head, a determined look plastered on her face as she did.

_**Tomoyo went through a great effort to help me capture this card. She's always there for me. I want to make her proud.**_

"Return to the guise you were meant to be in… CLOW CARD!!!" she yelled, as she lowered her staff and touched the card with it. All of its powers were then sealed in the form of the card, which flew right into Sakura's hands as always.

"Such a beautiful card…" she commented. Tomoyo and Kero approached her quickly afterwards.

"Sakura, you were wonderful!!!" Tomoyo exclaimed, as she put her camera away, the filming moment finally past. Sakura sweatdropped.

"You were too, Tomoyo. Without your help, I would've never captured this card. I'm so glad you're with me always!" Sakura said with a bright smile. Tomoyo blushed and beamed at her.

"I'm so happy I can help!!! And most of all, I'm glad I could still tape you sealing the card, you looked marvelous!!!"

"Still can't capture a single card without any help, uh?" the three of them turned around after hearing this, coming face to face with none other than Li Syaoran, who was wearing elegant green fighting robes, which seemed to be of Chinese design.

_**Ok, I have to admit one thing. He looks awfully handsome wearing those. Still…that doesn't change the fact he's the same scumbag that humiliated me the other day. I can't stand him! What did I ever do to him?! It's not like I'm capturing the cards to make him jealous or anything, it's the mission I accepted!**_

"And you still can't open your mouth without saying something mean, can you?" Sakura replied, putting the card away and folding her arms in front of her chest. Li frowned at this.

"To you? Not in your life time"

"Oh, I hate you!" Sakura exclaimed, her hands closing into fists and her face showing all her dislike. Li smiled, a sarcastic expression forming on his face.

"The feeling is now mutual, then" he said. Kero stepped in front of Sakura.

"I'll make you pay for treating Sakura like that, you worthless brat!" he said, thrusting his small fists towards him, motioning for a fight. Li raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief.

"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do?"

"Just wait until Sakura gets The Firey and The Earthy…"

"You mean IF she gets them" Li challenged, turning around and leaving them there without further comments. Sakura felt all her blood boiling inside her as he left, hating that feeling of impotence as she wasn't able to get back at him for all he was doing to her.

"Sakura, relax. I'm sure Li just needs some time to get used to you" Tomoyo tried to argue, but Sakura didn't listen.

_**OH THAT GUY IS SUCH A NUISANCE!!!! I'll make him pay for this, I swear!**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Good morning!!!" Sakura exclaimed as she entered the classroom as any other morning. Still, something felt different…

"Good morning, Sakura!" said Chiharu, and then immediately noticed what was missing from the picture "Hey…wait a minute…no candy today? I was getting used to listening to you yell 'Candy!' every morning, so it's kinda hard to not notice something's not right" she explained, making Sakura giggled slightly.

_**I guess nothing escapes Chiharu. But it was kind of inevitable…the question, I mean. **_

"Yeah, I know it's weird since I have been doing so for a long time, but Tomoyo and I had a lot of stuff to do yesterday and couldn't get to the candy store early as we wanted to. And since we had already sold out everything we had, today there is nothing to sell" Sakura said.

"But we're going to the store today after classes, so tomorrow there will be sales again!" Tomoyo added quickly, as she entered the classroom behind Sakura.

"Oh, hello Tomoyo! Good morning!" Sakura said with a smile.

"Good morning, Sakura" Tomoyo replied sweetly. Naoko and Rika approached right after that, looking enthusiastic.

"You're going to the store this afternoon? Can we come?" Rika asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I don't have piano classes today and I would really like to help you girls out!" Naoko added.

"Oh, I want to come to!!" Chiharu said. Sakura smiled widely.

_**I was so glad to hear that! The girls have been showing so much interest in the event as the date comes closer! I feel like this is going to be something to remember, really. With this much support, it'll take ages before anyone forgets our great event!**_

"It's fine then! We'll all go!" she said, making the girls squeal.

"Did you know how wrapped candy came to be?" Yamazaki said, as he suddenly popped up among them. Chiharu quickly pulled at his ear.

"No and we don't want to know, just shut up" she scolded, dragging him away and making all the girls laugh. Soon, professor Terada was entering the classroom.

"Ok, everyone to your seats" he said. As all the girls scattered, Sakura turned to her seat and her eyes suddenly locked with his: Li Syaoran. The reason of all her suffering. He was staring back at her with a frown on his face, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Morning" he said simply. Sakura snorted.

"Same to you" she said, taking her seat in front of him.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

The rest of the school day went on normally, all day long Sakura feeling his annoying gaze on the back of her head. It was already the last class of the day, math, and he was getting on her nerves.

_**That guy…I can't even look at him without feeling all that anger! I hate it, I never get mad at anyone, but this guy's just too much of it! **__**I have this growing need inside me to get back at him and yet I don't know how…What can I do to him to make him pay for the humiliation I've been through? What…?**_

Sakura was biting on the end of her pencil as she fell deep in thought, when suddenly professor Terada called Li to the blackboard to answer a math problem. As Li was getting up from his seat and walking to the front, Sakura suddenly had an idea forming inside her head…

Tomoyo turned around and was surprised as she saw Sakura ripping a piece of paper from her notebook and rolling it to form a thin tube out of it. She then ripped some more paper and made a few paper balls with it. Tomoyo raised her eyebrow at this.

"Psst…Sakura…" she called in a whisper "Sakura…what are you doing? You can't be thinking of--"

"Well done, Li. You can take your seat now" professor Terada said, interrupting Tomoyo's words. He then turned around to write a few stuff on the blackboard. As Li walked past Sakura's seat, though, Sakura used the paper tube to blow a small paper ball, which hit professor Terada on the back of his head. Before he turned around, though, she quickly grabbed Li's hand and gave him the tube and the remaining paper balls. In his surprise, he took them without thinking. When professor Terada turned around, Li was holding the incriminating evidence.

"Professor! I…" Li tried to say, but was interrupted by a rather angry professor Terada.

"Feeling bored, Mr. Li?"

"No professor, I wasn't…"

"I guess you just need some fresh air, don't you?"

"Professor, please, I just--"

"Out you go, Li"

"But--"

"Out!"

"Professor, I didn't--!"

"OUT!"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"I think you need to stretch your arms before you get cramps" Sakura pointed out, a rather evil smile plastered on her face as she got out of the classroom at the end of the period and stared at Li with an amused expression. He was standing just outside the classroom, holding a bucket filled with water with each hand, looking really annoyed.

_**I'm sorry, I'm not usually like this, but I just had…HAD to enjoy this…**_

"I'll get you for this, Kinomoto" he warned, gritting his teeth. Sakura raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, really? And what will you do, Li?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips and looking at him challengingly. Li stared back at her, anger evidently growing inside him. Tomoyo came out of the classroom then and looked at them worried.

"Guys, you really shouldn't take this that far…it's not good to be fighting"

"No one was fighting with no one before Kinomoto had to show how much of a little child she still is" Li pointed out in an as-a-matter-of-factly way. Sakura frowned at him.

"No one was fighting?! Excuse me, but last time I checked, you were the one trying to steal the cards from me! Not just that, but you also seem to enjoy yourself insulting me and humiliating me! And you call ME a little child?! At least I'm not as arrogant and self-absorbed as you are!"

"Who's self-absorbed? You popular half-brained girl!!!" responded Li, making Tomoyo sweatdrop.

"Wait, guys…"

"You think because I'm popular, I'm dumb?!"

"Well I didn't see you solve those math problems"

"Math isn't my favorite subject, ok?"

"Which is your favorite subject? PE?"

"Oh, you think you're Mr. Perfect, don't you?"

"Aren't I?!"

"Of course not! You're anything but perfect, you spoiled Chinese brat!"

"That's it!" stated Li, putting down one of his buckets. Tomoyo sensed what was coming and quickly jumped away before Li poured the whole other bucket of water on Sakura, soaking her from top to bottom. Sakura coughed the water that had gotten into her mouth and then looked down at herself in disbelief.

"Why the hell did you do that?!" she yelled.

"You sort of deserved it!"

"Fuck you, Li!" Sakura yelled back, angrily, scandalizing Tomoyo, who had never heard her best friend swear. Li raised an eyebrow.

"Such a strong word for a girl"

"Oh, not just my words are strong" she replied, lifting the other bucket before he could react, and pouring the water on him. Now they were both soaked.

"Argh! Damn you, woman!" Li complained as he found himself all wet.

"Damn you, Li!!" Sakura replied. Tomoyo was about to giggle at how funny they actually looked, when…

"What is going on here?"

"Professor Terada!!" both of them exclaimed with a hint of fear in their voices as they saw him approach. He didn't look like he believed the scene to be funny, unlike Tomoyo, which made both teenagers unconsciously swallow with nervousness.

"I can't believe both of you! Look at this mess! You're not in grade school anymore!"

"She started!" Li accused, pointing at Sakura, who jumped with fright.

"No, professor, I didn't!"

"I don't care! Both of you will stay for three hour detention! Are we clear?!" he scolded starting to walk away, followed by both soaked teenagers, both of them facing the ground in shame.

_**Oh no…what have I gotten myself into? Now I won't be able to go with Tomoyo and the others to the store! And three hour detention, alone with Li?! Oh my god, this has got to be the worse day of my life! I can't even begin to describe it! I can just hope for these three hours to pass without further events…**__**but then again…what could really happen?**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

That's it for chapter 4, I hope you like it! Please review!!!


	5. Hate? Really?

Well I got to writing today after my morning exam, since this afternoon I know for sure I'll be studying non stop, so I wanted to relax a bit. And look at that, I finished a whole chapter. Far more than what I was expecting, actually XD But oh well, I hope you enjoy it, I'm rather proud of this one.

Anyways, let me just answer the reviews from last chapter.

**Angelica** – Jejeje, descuida, me da gusto que hayas dejado review ahora XD Y gracias por entrar a mi deviant! Quiza empiece a subir ilustraciones de este fanfic tambien, ya que me esta gustando mucho como va. Muajajaja, ya se, detencion después de clases, que romantico XDDD

**Bubbles** – So good to know that! I'll do my best!

**Jennycuenca** – Yeah, I wonder too… (giggles)

**SakuraxSyaroan4ever **– I know, so like her XD

**Rubbish** – You're getting rather good at this kind of predictions. I hope you like this chapter as well:3

And that's it! We can continue with the story!

**Chapter 5 - Hate? Really?**

With uncertainty, he suddenly found himself staring dumbly at her. She was sitting in front of a desk by the window, leaning against the surface and staring blankly into space, her honey-colored hair still dripping wet. It had been like half an hour since professor Terada had left them there and they hadn't exchanged a word ever since. He was starting to feel anxious. Why? He didn't know for sure. He was three desks away from her and he felt her strangely close to him. It was either that or the fact that her white blouse was all wet and he could see her bra through it...

He felt his face burn as he realized this, suddenly finding it very difficult not to stare.

_**What the hell is wrong with me?! Thirty minutes alone with her and I'm starting to drool all over her like an idiot! Get a grip on yourself, Li Syaoran! She's your rival! If it wasn't for her, you would now be in hold of more Clow Cards and a few steps ahead of becoming their master! Not to mention the whole prank situation she had going on in math class. What's with her?!**_

He couldn't see her face since she was facing the window. He wondered what she was thinking.

_**Maybe she's sad right now. I remember overhearing she would be going out with Daidouji, Mihara and the others. And I can't believe I'm actually worried about something as stupid as that! Then again… it's so weird to think of her being sad… when you know she's almost always smiling…**_

He suddenly heard her sigh. She started moving her legs anxiously, displaying her impatience to be let out of that place. Li could perfectly tell her skirt was still very wet too. Hell, his own clothes were still soaking wet. Everything except his coat, which he usually didn't bring since it was kinda hot outside. But now, fall was starting to announce itself, and the environment was changing. He suddenly noticed Sakura was wrapping her arms around herself, shivering a bit. She surely did not bring her own coat.

_**Damn her, silly girl...**_

Sakura gasped and turned up to look at him as he placed his coat on her back, in an attempt to make her feel warmer. His face was completely neutral, yet she somehow felt something in him that wasn't there before…

"You'll get sick" he said after giving her his coat, taking the seat next to her now, reducing considerably the distance that had reigned between them before. Sakura blushed a bright shade of pink and clutched at the sides of the coat, to wrap it around herself better.

"Thank you…"

"Whatever" he replied, turning away from her so that she was unable to see him blush. Sakura felt weird, being suddenly nice to him. But somehow, in her eyes, that single gesture had erased everything wrong she saw in him. She was suddenly looking at him and seeing just a guy. A normal guy. And a very handsome one, for instance.

She felt the warmth of his coat around her. Soon, she could sense the smell of it. His masculine scent made her shiver…

"Uhm…Li…"

"What?"

"Are you hungry?"

"Uh?"

"It's just that…my father gave me some oniigiris for me to take this afternoon so that Tomoyo and I could eat. And since I'm not going, well…I still have an extra portion of them, and I was wondering if you…well, if you're hungry and--"

"You don't have to do that just because I gave you my coat" he interrupted coldly.

"You don't have to treat me badly just because I capture the Clow Cards" she replied "I wasn't doing it to annoy you, you know?" her statement somehow reached deeply into Li's thoughts and made him turn to face her, a rather confusing expression painted in his face. It made him look like he was fighting something inside him…

_**How is she doing that? How is she making me feel like this just by being nice to me? What are girls made up with, really? No…it's not the girls…it's THIS GIRL. She's different from anyone I've met. I suddenly have this growing feeling inside me…a growing need to see her smile…**_

"Alright" he responded simply "I'll have some"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"You think Sakura will be ok? I recon she doesn't like that new guy, Li. And I think he doesn't like her at all, either" Rika commented, as they walked down the street. Naoko and Chiharu nodded, and the three of them stared at Tomoyo, who was giggling non-stop at this statement.

"She'll be fine, I guess"

"How can you be so calm after what happened today, outside the classroom? That was one hell of a show going on there! And not a pretty one, if I may add!" Chiharu asked, a little exasperated at Tomoyo's reaction to their worries. Tomoyo shrugged.

"I guess I just don't see Li as much of a threat to Sakura. He's a very nice guy, after all"

"Nice guy? He's been very mean to Sakura! He always talks to her in a bad way and stares with that awful frown. How can you think that, Tomoyo?" Naoko asked, in disbelief of her words. Tomoyo crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Sometimes, rivalry doesn't mean hate"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Did you make these?" Li suddenly asked, breaking the silence that had been reigning between them. Sakura looked at him quickly before answering.

"No…my dad made them…"

"They're very good" he said, taking another bite.

"Yeah, my dad is a great cook. I have learned a lot from him" she added. And silence fell again. Both of them were looking away from each other as they ate, and blushing slightly at the awkwardness of the situation they were in presently.

_**How did we even get here? We're eating together? We're alone? Is this some kind of shoujo-manga environment? How in the world, of all people? This sort of things just don't happen in normal life!! It's so cliché that I think it actually leads somewhere…**_

"Uhm…Li?" Sakura suddenly called, making him turned instinctively towards her.

"What?"

"I…uh…I'm sorry for blaming that stupid prank on you…" she admitted. Li stared at her with his eyes widened, not really believing at first what he had heard.

"You…you're apologizing to me? After all I did to you?"

"Don't get me wrong. I…I still don't like how you treat me…it's just that…I should never have taken revenge against you. You were right, it was a very childish act, and I'm sorry about that. I won't do it again" she explained, blushing a deeper shade of pink.

_**Stupid girl…she looks so damn cute when she blushes…**_

"Uhm…It's all right. I'm sorry for being mean to you, too" he responded. Sakura stared at him with shiny eyes, hope painted right into them.

"Really?"

"Uh…yeah"

"You won't be mean to me anymore?" she asked, rather afraid of the answer. Li blushed at this. He couldn't bear to watch that kind of innocence in someone's face. He didn't even believe it to be real in the first place, but Sakura….she just somehow had it in her naturally.

"No, I promise" he stated. Sakura smiled widely at him.

"Then…can we be friends?"

_**Yes!! Why can't I just say yes, damnit?! It would be so much simpler!**_

"Don't push your luck"

"Oh, come on, Li! Don't be such a weirdo"

"Weirdo?! Who you callin' weirdo?! Listen, you dumb girl--" Li's words were interrupted by a sudden feeling that enveloped both of them, a sharp aggressive overflow of energy moving around them…

"It's a Clow Card!" Sakura exclaimed, standing up and looking around frantically. Li did so too, and he soon spotted what they were looking for. It looked like an elf, her hair an outfit all in a spiky pattern. She was looking menacingly at them.

"Uh-oh…I think I know which card it is…" Li commented, just as a shot came at them, going between them, passing dangerously close.

"Ah! What was that! A gun?!"

"NO! It's The Shot!" Li exclaimed, just as the card moved to a different location, this time behind Sakura, who hadn't yet spotted it. When he saw the card aiming at her, his mind clouded and he lost complete control of his actions. Instinct overtook him.

"SAKURA!! IT'S BEHIND YOU!!" he yelled, running towards her and pushing her down to the floor just in time to avoid getting hit by the card's attack. Sakura closed her eyes before Li collided with her, and when she opened them, her whole face turned red to match Li's. She was lying with her back on the floor, Li completely on top of her, avoiding her gaze.

"Li…"

"Are you ok?" he asked simply, interrupting any other thoughts she could voice at the moment. He was perfectly conscious now that he had just called her Sakura instead of Kinomoto, but he knew it wasn't the moment to discuss such a topic. He quickly got off her and jump backwards, taking his sword out magically from his pendant.

"Thunder guardian! COME FORTH!" he commanded, sending a thunder attack against The Shot. It dodged it, however, and took another shot at him. Li was fast too, so he didn't get hit.

"Kew of Clow! Power of Magic! Power of Light! Surrender the one, the force ignite! RELEASE!!!" Sakura yelled, her key immediately turning into a staff. Li turned towards her, and saw her fully recovered now, a serious gaze on her eyes. She was holding a Clow Card with her free hand "SHIELD!" she yelled, throwing the Clow Card to the front and touching it with the end of her staff. To Li's surprise, The Shield didn't close around her, but rather around him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?! It'll get you!" Li yelled angrily. Sakura smiled at him with confidence.

"I'll do my best!" she exclaimed, running towards The Shot and throwing another card in front of her "Envelope her with your darkness!! SHADOW!!!" she yelled, as the card dispelled and rushed to obey her command. Soon, The Shot was trapped inside the powers of The Shadow.

"Seal it now! Quickly!" Li yelled. But before Sakura could do something, a shot came rushing through The Shadow and towards her. She didn't have much time to react so she merely closed her eyes in fear, covering her face and waiting for the impact. Instead, she felt a hard push against her arm and fell to the floor. She opened her eyes and gasped.

"LI!!!" she yelled, seeing that Li had been hurt on his arm by the shot after he had saved her from any damage. He just held his arm tightly to delay the bleeding.

"SEAL THE CARD!! DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME!!!" he scolded. Sakura frowned and nodded.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be in!! CLOW CARD!!!" she yelled, touching it with her staff and turning it quickly back into a card. The Shadow also came back to her card form, and both cards fell to the floor, forgotten temporarily. Sakura, instead of picking them up, rushed back towards Li, who was sitting on the floor, against the wall, a pained expression on his face.

"Oh my god, are you ok?! You need to get that treated!" she exclaimed as she fell to her knees beside him.

"It's ok, it's just a scratch" he replied, with a slight grin. Sakura smiled, relieved.

"That's good to know. Still…" she started, taking a hankerchief out of her pocket and wrapping it around his wound, securing it with a loose knot "…I think this will help you stop the bleeding while it heals. And I recommend that you clean it once you get home. It will be just half an hour now"

"Thanks…I guess…"

"I'm the one who should be thanking you. You saved my life! Twice! How can I ever repay you?"

"You don't have to, really…"

"Oh, I know!" she said, standing up and rushing to pick up the cards that had been left on the floor. She then came back to him and knelt next to him once more.

"Here!" she said, handing him The Shot. He just stared at her, slightly confused.

"What?"

"Take it! It's rightfully yours, I believe"

"Oh no, no way, I don't take pity cards"

"It's not pity! Without your help, I would never have caught it! And I say it belongs to you, so you keep it!"

"I can't accept it, Sakura! Just keep it and shut up already!" he scolded angrily. Sakura frowned.

"Fine then" she said, putting both cards away "But I still owe you"

"No you don't, I already told you that--" his words were interrupted by Sakura's sudden outstanding action. She had leaned in quickly and kissed him softly on his right cheek, making his face turn red almost automatically. He just stared at her then, eyes wide open, and strangely at a loss of words. Sakura giggled at this.

"It's almost hard to believe I left Li Syaoran at a loss of words!" she exclaimed, pretty satisfied with herself. Li still couldn't manage to get a coherent sentence out of his mouth.

"Oh, and about my name" she added "if you're gonna call me Sakura, at least let me call you Syaoran, alright?"

"What?" Li managed to phrase. Sakura giggled, messing with his hair with one hand, like if he was a little boy.

"Syaoran! It's such a great name. And of course that means we're friends now!"

"Wait a minute..!"

"No, you wait a minute! You're not gonna tell me now that, after saving my life twice, you don't consider me a friend, right?! That would be just stupid"

"But--"

"No buts, Syaoran!"

"Hey, let me talk!"

"Ok, then talk"

"First of all, Kinomoto, I…"

"S-A-K-U-R-A"

"FINE! SAKURA!" he stated, making her squeal.

"YAY! It's official then!" she exclaimed, getting up and jumping with happiness. Syaoran (which I'll call him from now on) just sighed and couldn't restrain himself from smiling a little.

_**I guess, after all, it was meant to be this way…**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Done!!! I hope you like it so much it makes you review!! XD LOL!


	6. Just admit it already!

Heeeeey!!! I'm back with the sixth chapter!!! I'll get to the reviews quickly so we can proceed XD

**Rubbish** – Lol, sorry I couldn't update the next day, but I hope it was soon enough XD And it was nice talking to you, by the way!!

**Angelica** – Jajaja, esa frase me la pense mucho, que bueno que alguien noto su peculiaridad XD Que bueno que te haya gustado!

**Jennycuenca** – Lol, thanks I guess XD Yeah, detentions are so…I don't know exactly what is it, but they are! XD

**Lhaine07** – Yeah, it's Card Captor Sakura my way!! XD I hope you keep enjoying it!

**Fluffielurver** – And your review made mine! Thank you so much for the compliments!!!

**Isle of Pens** – Yeah, Syaoran tends to do that XD Lol, hope you keep liking it.

And back to the story!!!

**Chapter ****6 – Just admit it already!**

"Come back here!!! DAMNIT!!" yelled Syaoran, as he ran among the trees in the park, in pursuit of a small curious-looking animal, with bright purple fur and big dark blue eyes. Its ears were long as the ones of a fox but it wasn't a fox. In fact, it wasn't a common animal at all…

…it was a Clow Card.

"AAAH!" he yelled, jumping towards the card, but falling face-first to the ground, since it had been very fast to evade him. It was, after all, The Dash "Hell, I'm never going to catch it like this…" he muttered, getting up as fast as he could. Nevertheless, he had already lost sight of the card.

"Damn you, wild cards" he muttered angrily, taking his sword out with a swift movement of his pendant and walking carefully. He concentrated hard. The card couldn't be that far. It was scared enough to not think of leaving the park, since it found it safe among the trees and other plants.

Suddenly, he felt it.

"There it is!" he pointed to the right and started running. Sensing a change of direction, though, he took a detour around a tree and found a rather big obstacle. And obstacle with human shape.

"AAAH!" he heard a scream mingle with his as they bumped into each other and fell to the ground.

When Syaoran opened his eyes after the impact, his face turned a bright color of red. It was a very embarrassed Sakura, lying right underneath him, staring at him with her eyes widened.

_**I saw them!!! They look so cute like that!!! Oh my god, I was right! Li doesn't only like Sakura, he LIKES her! I mean, like a 'she'! I'm not making any sense, I know…but I'll get everything out of Sakura later. I've got it all on tape after all! Here hiding behind the bushes, the perfect spot! I think she even forgot I was right behind her.**_

"Syaoran…" she whispered. Hell, they were so close he even felt her warm breath as she said his name, making his body shiver.

"S-Sakura…"

"You were…chasing…The Dash?"

"Yeah…"

"Uhm…Syaoran…"

"Yes?"

"May I get up?"

"What? Oh, sure, sorry" he said, quickly getting up and extending a hand to her to help her up. Once they were both standing, there was an uncomfortable silence between them. Syaoran couldn't help but notice that she was wearing an outstanding outfit. She looked like a heroine. She was wearing a short purple skirt with long pink stockings and purple boots that went up to her knees. With a pink blouse, a purple long coat and a French-style hat, she looked like the most exotic thing he had ever seen. The most beautiful heroine he had ever heard of… _Wait a minute! What the hell am I thinking?!_

"Ah…I'm…sorry…I wasn't watching" Syaoran said suddenly, without looking at her. Sakura shook her head.

"No, it's ok! I wasn't watching either…" she replied.

_**Ok, I think it's time to come out of my hide out. Besides, Kero has caught up to us….**_

"SAKURAAAA!!!" Tomoyo's called interrupted the awkward moment, as she and Kero came from behind some bushes.

"Oh, here you are!" Kero said with a smile, and then turned to Syaoran and glared at him "What the hell is he doing here?"

"Don't be mean, Kero. Syaoran is my friend now" Sakura said, smiling at Syaoran, who blushed even more. Tomoyo stared at both of them.

"You're on first name basis? How did that happen?" Tomoyo said, a hand on her right cheek in an expression of total awe. Both teenagers blushed madly at this question, not daring to look at each other, fidgeting at their clothes in desperation.

_**This is far more than what I was expecting after one day of detention…**__**I think Sakura is also liking a lot of Syaoran…**_

"Uhm, well, the other day…" Sakura started to say, but then she was cut off by Kero's scream.

"Sakura! It's the card!" he exclaimed. Sakura and Syaoran turned around to see the small creature behind them, a scared look on its face. Syaoran raised his sword and Sakura her staff, preparing for their next move. Even though they were now friends (or something like that, lol), they were still fighting for the cards. They slowly started to approach to it when…

"Wait!" Tomoyo exclaimed, stopping them both. She walked in between them slowly and then knelt on the grass, staring at the little animal-looking with a smile.

_**But meanwhile, and going back to discussing our present situation, I think I have an idea…**__**Not every problem is solved with violence, kids…**_

"Hey sweety! You don't have to be afraid, come here…" she called, motioning with her hand. Sakura and Syaoran exchanged weird looks.

"Uhm, Tomoyo…I don't think that's the way to--"

"SHHHHHH!" scolded Kero, pointing at the card. It actually looked like it was calming down all of a sudden. Tomoyo smiled at this and started singing. The harmonious sound of her voice filled the surroundings, carried by the wind. Sakura closed her eyes, a peaceful look and a pleasant smile portrayed on her face as she listened to the music of her friend.

Syaoran, though, was oblivious to the sound of Tomoyo's voice. The sight of Sakura's pleased face was causing too much of a reaction in him. It was as if the music itself was provoking him. Right then and there, he knew he wanted it. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to kiss her so bad!

Suddenly, and completely unconsciously, he began leaning towards her. Fortunately, Kero was staring intently at the card's reactions and Tomoyo was concentrating so much in her own song that had her eyes closed just as Sakura. The moment was his, and his alone. He suddenly didn't care about the Clow Card. All he cared about was her, there, standing in front of him, inviting him…

"YOU DID IT, TOMOYO!!!!" came Kero's voice enthusiastically, making Syaoran jump backwards in shock as Sakura opened her eyes and looked down at Tomoyo. She was holding the little creature in her arms, and it was licking her face. Tomoyo giggled non stop.

"Come on, stop it! Stop! Hahahaha!"

"Sakura, you can seal the card now!" Kero stated. Sakura nodded.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!!!" Sakura yelled, touching the card with her staff and sealing it. Syaoran could just stare, dumbfound. What had he been up to just now? _WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME, DAMNIT?!!!_

"I'm sorry, but I got this" Sakura said apologetically. Syaoran raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Well…since we're friends and all… it's not very nice, I think…" she replied, blushing a little. Syaoran blushed too and turned away from her, not daring to meet her eyes with his.

"Forget it, you can take that one"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Syaoran sat alone on the same bench he had been sitting while talking to Yamazaki, some days ago now. He was drinking from a bottle of water and watching the cheerleaders practicing. Among them, he was staring at someone in special: it was her, Kinomoto Sakura. She looked cheerful, as always and apparently had not noticed his presence at all. Syaoran sighed in frustration _What the hell is happening to me? _he thought_, The other day…what was I thinking? Was I really going to…?_

"Li!" he immediately turned around to see Tomoyo Daidouji, rushing towards him with a smile.

"Oh…hey, Daidouji"

"Can I sit here a moment?"

"Sure…" Tomoyo sat down beside him and then silently followed his gaze, which was now once again focused on the cheerleader practice. She smiled mischievously at this, realizing what was happening.

_**He's sooooooo in love with her now…. And I think I can get it out of him with the right comments here and there….**_

"Sakura looks really cute with the cheerleader outfit, doesn't she?" Tomoyo commented, making Syaoran jump up to his feet and give a step backwards, away from her like if she had suddenly transformed into a one-eyed monster. His face turned all red.

"What are you saying?! I wasn't thinking that at all!!!"

"I never said you were" Tomoyo responded, still with the same innocent smile on her face. Syaoran sighed heavily and dropped himself on the bench again, sort of resigning to what Tomoyo's next comment would be _Fine, I get it, I just gave myself away…_

"But you were thinking it, weren't you?" Tomoyo challenged. Syaoran, a little more seriously this time, turned to look at her with a light touch of pink on his cheeks.

"What are you getting at, Daidouji?"

"I think you know"

"Is this some sort of revenge for what I did to Sakura before?"

"Don't be silly, nobody said anything about revenge. Love isn't a bad thing, you know?"

"WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT LOVE?! Daidouji, you're jumping into conclusions!!"

"Am I, really?" Tomoyo challenged once again. Syaoran felt his face heat up again. He hated being forced to tell the truth that way.

"You like her, don't you?" Tomoyo insisted. Syaoran lowered his face, his bangs covering his eyes, a gloomy expression overtaking his features.

"What makes you think that?"

"I don't know, something about you sitting here and watching her practice, drooling all over the bench…"

"Ok, I get it, you can stop now"

_**I knew it, I'm just too clever, JoJoJo!**_

"It really isn't something you should be ashamed of, Li. There are a lot of guys who like Sakura, she's pretty popular. And she's totally free by the moment. She used to like an older guy when she was younger, but that's in the past now" Tomoyo explained with an understanding smile. Syaoran lifted his face to look at her once more.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because…" she began, taking his hands with hers "There's something in you that makes me think you would make her very happy, and all I want is to see my best friend as happy as she can be" she explained, making Syaoran blush even more (if possible, lol).

"M-Me? Make her happy?"

"I noticed that, when she was with you the other day at the park, she felt safer all of a sudden…"

"You are very observant…"

"Of course, she's my best friend after all"

"Then she's lucky to have you"

"So…is it a yes or a no?"

"Uh?" Syaoran said, suddenly confused by her apparently-out-of-place question. Tomoyo leaned in closer, as if taking care not to be overhead by anyone, even though there wasn't anyone around that was close enough to hear.

"Well…do you like Sakura that way or not?" she asked, clearing his doubts. Syaoran blushed a bright crimson before getting enough courage to answer that with the whole truth. The truth that he had been denying to himself until now, when he was forced to admit it…

"I do…I like Kinomoto Sakura…a lot"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

There! A little short but I liked how it turned out. Please review!!!!


	7. Was it a date?

Hello once again! I had a very free weekend so I was able to update again XD Lemme answer the reviews before anything else happens.

**Rubbish** – Lol, thanks for correcting me, I already took care of it XD

**SakuraJade** – Thank you for the compliments, I'm doing my best :3

**Angelica** – Jajaja, es que Tomoyo es malvada XD Y si, ahorita hay mucho kawaiiness, pero pronto se pondra problematica la situacion…

And now to the story!!!

**Chapter 7 – ****Was it a date?**

It was a particularly sunny Sunday morning when Syaoran got up from bed. He screwed his eyes a bit before heading towards the window to open the curtains, letting all the sunlight in. He stretched his arms upward and stared outside for a moment. Something about that day made him feel different. Or was it not just today?

_**No, it's been since Wednesday. That fatidic Wednesday when Daidouji made me confess my feelings towards Sakura… I don't know, I guess confessing my feelings hasn't been something I normally do… Am I overreacting? Maybe I don't actually like her that way. I'm still a guy… a teenager guy… it must be hormones or something like that…**_

He turned towards his night table, where the Clow Cards he had captured laid. He frowned.

_**I wonder if I have what it takes to be the master of the Clow Cards. Sakura… she's completely different from me. So open with her feelings, so sincere towards other people, so… so selfless. Is that the kind of 'power' the one that the Clow Cards are looking for in their new master?**_

He decided he would take a bath and think about that later.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Walking randomly down the street, Syaoran found it rather difficult to distract himself. He hated not being able to control his own thoughts and feelings. Why were they being dominated by her? It was as if he had been jinxed or something.

As he kept walking, he reached King Penguin Park. He stopped for a few moments, watching the trees. Their leaves had turned all tones of brown and orange since fall was dawning upon them, and it was a quite peaceful sight to be contemplating. Taking a deep breath, he continued towards the park.

It was rather empty, since it was too early and it was Sunday. He knew in a few hours, there would be a lot of families, children playing, all those sorts of stuff. He didn't want to be there when that happened, though. He preferred it quiet.

He soon reached the lake, its water looking as peaceful and crystalline as a mirror, the morning sunlight reflecting on it. He was about to sit near it to enjoy the moment alone when he suddenly felt he wasn't alone. Turning around to look for other people, though, he saw her. It was her. The reason of all his doubts and sleepless nights… it was Sakura.

_**Oh my god, why is she here?!**_

"Hi!" she said, smiling sweetly. Syaoran blushed slightly.

"Uh…good morning…I didn't know you liked to wake up early on Sunday"

"What were you doing?" she asked. Syaoran stared at her for a moment. She was wearing a white skirt and a pink blouse with white sleeves, a small bow adorning a ponytail on the back of her head. Her uneven bangs hung as usual, and to Syaoran, the whole image was too attractive for her own good.

"I…uh, I…was just walking…"

"Do you want to do something with me?" she interrupted enthusiastically. Syaoran's face turned completely red.

_**WHAT?! Do something?! Like a date?! What is she getting at?!**_

"W-what do you want to do?"

"I just wanted to sit by the lake. It's so pretty" she responded, advancing towards the lake and sitting on the grass. Syaoran, a little confused by her sudden attitude, followed her and sat by her side. She seemed lost in the view of the morning lake, and her smile told him she was rather pleased with herself.

_**What's wrong with her? Somehow it seems like she's acting a little unlike her. Still…I could just stare at her smiling forever…**__** Jeez, I have issues. Serious ones. This girl's getting the best of me. But why me? Why is she here with me?**_

"Uhm…if you were bored, why didn't you call Daidouji?" Syaoran asked suddenly. Sakura didn't answer. She just turned, smiled at him, and continued to stare at the lake. Syaoran found himself engulfed in a very uncomfortable silence.

He wasn't uncomfortable being with her, but he was dying to talk to her. He found he had nothing to say to her. She was always so talkative…he had never had the need to look for a topic of conversation before…she seemed so different today…

"You know? At this time of the day, the lake reminds me of a mirror"

"Uh?" Syaoran was taken aback by her sudden statement. It was like waking up from a very deep sleep… he had been that lost in his thoughts.

"You know, because you can look at yourself on its surface since it's so peaceful and clear…don't you think?"

"Uh…yeah…I guess…" Syaoran replied, not so sure about the situation. He was sure there was something different in her…

"Are you bored?" she asked suddenly, again making him jump slightly.

"Uh? Why do you ask that?"

"Let's go to the swings!!!"

"WHAT?!"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"WHEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" Sakura seemed very pleased with herself, almost like a little child, as she swayed on the swing. Syaoran just leant against a tree, his arms folded in front of his chest, watching her. He felt like a fool. He could not find a single flaw in her. Even that childish laugh made him go crazy about her.

_**What is wrong with me?!!!**_

"Hey!" Sakura called all of a sudden "Why are you over there? Don't you want to play?"

"Uhm…no, it's ok"

"In that case, will you push me?" she asked sweetly. Syaoran felt a violent shiver run through all his body when he heard her say that.

"You…you really want me to?"

"Yes, please!"

"Uhm…ok…" he said, cautiously approaching towards her and standing behind her swing.

"Now! Push me!" she said happily. Syaoran blushed, because that mean holding her by the waist, pulling her backwards a little and then pushing her.

Nevertheless, he did as he was told. And soon, he was feeling strangely comfortable with the situation. With the harmonic sound of Sakura's laughs ringing in his ears, he suddenly found himself smiling, and then even laughing slightly. Soon, both teenagers were having a great time, smiling and laughing, and Syaoran felt he had never been so at peace with himself before.

Soon, the park was full of other people, but Syaoran didn't even notice. For him, it was just him and Sakura there, having the greatest time together, just laughing like kids. His mind was completely blank, all of his doubts vanished. His heart had taken over the situation with the only truth: he loved her. He loved Kinomoto Sakura. And how can you love someone in such a short time, you say? It must be destiny, just like that.

Sakura suddenly jumped from the swing and grabbed Syaoran's hand, jerking him out of dreamland.

"Let's go some place else!" she said enthusiastically. Syaoran smiled at her.

"Sure!"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

They suddenly found themselves back at the lake, this time leaning against the handrail of the bridge that crossed it. Syaoran occasionally glanced at Sakura, who again seemed lost in her thoughts, just staring at the lake, with a peaceful smile. He could feel his heartbeat racing just by her closeness, finally realizing what they had been doing all morning.

"Uhm…Sakura…"

"I had a great time today!" she exclaimed, interrupting his previous sentence. Syaoran smiled.

"Yeah, I had a great time, too"

"There's something else I wanted to do"

"Uh? Really? What is it? It's just noon so we still can--" his words were cut off as Sakura's lips crashed suddenly against his. His eyes went wide open at first, but he then closed them and gave into the moment, wrapping his arms around Sakura's waist. It was over soon, much to his dismay, when she pulled away and smiled at him.

"That's it. Thank you so much" she said, turning around and walking away from him as if nothing had happened. Syaoran was left there alone in shock.

What had just happened?!

_**Did I…just kiss…Sakura?**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Monday morning had come too soon for everyone, and Syaoran opened the door to the classroom rather unenthusiastically. But then again…was he ever enthusiastic doing so?

"Good morning, Syaoran!" came Sakura's greeting as he entered, his face turning completely red.

"Uh…good…morning…"

"How was your weekend?! Mine was great! My dad took me and my brother to the capital yesterday! We were there all day since very early in the morning and had a great time!" she exclaimed. Syaoran froze with shock. Yesterday? Had she just said she had been in the capital YESTERDAY?! As in SUNDAY?! THE Sunday?!

"Uhm…don't you mean Saturday?" Syaoran tried to correct. Sakura raised an eyebrow at him.

"Uh…no…I mean yesterday, Sunday. Why? Were you there too?"

"No, I wasn't! And you know that!"

"Why the hell would I know it? It's not like I was with you!"

"Of course you were with me!"

"What?! No, I wasn't! I was with my dad! You know, you're acting pretty strange today, Li Syaoran" she stated, turning around and walking away from him. Syaoran was left there, eyes widened. Then, Sakura turned around and smiled at him.

"By the way, I captured another Clow Card. The Bubble. It was flooding my bathroom on Saturday evening. Anyway, I thought you should now. I hope you're less weird later" she said, taking her seat by the window. He followed her and took his seat behind her, falling deep into his thoughts.

_**If it wasn't her…then…who was it?**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Syaoran walked through King Penguin Park confused. He was positive Sakura hadn't been lying to him before when she said she hadn't been with him. But how could that be? There was certainly something he wasn't seeing…

"Hey!" he turned around to find Sakura standing right behind him, wearing the same clothing she had been wearing the day before when they were playing at the swings and smiling sweetly at him. Syaoran frowned.

"Sakura?"

"Let's go play some more!!" she exclaimed, taking his hand and starting to walk towards the swings. But Syaoran didn't move.

"What are you doing?" Syaoran asked, a serious expression on his face. Sakura looked back at him.

"Uh? I just want to play with you again…"

"Why me?"

"Because you're nice!" she said sincerely. Syaoran frowned once again.

"How do you know me? You don't even know my name" he asked her. Sakura looked at him confused, and rather shocked.

"What?" 

"You're not Sakura" he stated.

_**Of course she isn't! How could I be so blind?! I let myself be deceived because of my own desires, but it's so obvious she isn't Sakura! Not once did she call me Syaoran on Sunday…and that was because she obviously didn't know my name. Because it wasn't her!**_

The girl lowered her gaze to the ground and let go off his hand.

"When did you find out?" she asked.

"Not yesterday, if that's what you want to know" he told her. She sighed.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Yeah…it took me a moment but I found out…you're a Clow Card. You…you're The Mirror!" he said confidently. In that moment, the girl that looked like Sakura disappeared, and in her place there was the true form of the Clow Card, a girl with long green hair and deep, wise eyes. Syaoran stared at her for a moment.

"You seem sad" he commented. She nodded.

"Please tell Sakura I never meant harm to her. I just wasn't brave enough to approach her and…I saw you were someone close to her…"

"It's alright. I think she knows. She trusts all of you" he answered, making the card smile.

"Thank you for everything you did for me. I'm sorry for the pain I caused you"

"Pain?" he asked, bewildered.

"I know you love her. That's why I kissed you, wanting to do something for you in return for all the fun we had. But I think I only caused you pain…"

"It's alright…I think you just made me realize stuff I didn't want to admit…"

"Nevertheless…I'm sorry" she said sincerely. Syaoran smiled, but rather a sad smile.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too" he said, making his sword appear with a quick movement of his pendant "Return to the guise you were meant to be in…Clow Card!" she yelled, using his sword as staff and making her become a card once again. It flew right into his hands after that, and he was glad to see her image painted in it, smiling peacefully.

"Syaoran!!" he quickly turned around when he heard her voice, and saw Sakura running towards him, Kero and Tomoyo following her.

"Sakura"

"Hey! I felt the presence of a Clow Card…but it suddenly disappeared…" she said. Then, she noticed the thing he was holding in his hand "Oh…I see you caught it…you're fast!" she said, smiling a bit. Syaoran lowered his gaze, his bangs covering his eyes.

"Not as fast as you think" he said, turning around and walking away from them. Sakura and Tomoyo exchanged confused gazes.

"What's wrong with him?" Tomoyo asked. Sakura shrugged.

"I don't know, he was acting weird today, though" she commented. Syaoran didn't look back as he walked away, towards his house. A single tear managed to escape from his eyes, rolling down his cheek. He immediately whipped it off with his sleeve.

_**After all, it was all fake…**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

THE DRAMAAAAA! XD I know, poor Syaoran. Please review and tell me what you think! I'm open to suggestions!! There are still eleven cards to go!!


	8. A firey passion

New chapter up!!! Let me answer the reviews fast.

**Rubbish** – I know, I'm kinda evil sometimes…

**EvilDunkin-Sama** – Yeah, poor Syaoran, so in love XD

**AkitoxXxSana46** – Thanks! I will!

**Lhaine07** – I hope so too, but you know Sakura…

**Angelica** – Jajaja, ya se, eso nunca pasa, verdad?

**SakuraJade** – Yeah, sometimes I can't help it and actually follow the same storyline, but I want it to be as original as possible. I thought about The Mirror capture a lot, I'm glad you liked it!

**Frexton** – Well, we're far from the ending, but I will end it sometime, don't worry XD

I wanted to tell you all that this story will be LONG. But I guess some of you figured that out already, since they still have to capture the rest of the cards and then turn them into Sakura cards. Hell, Eriol hasn't even appeared XD So yeah, I hope you like long stories!!!

On with this chapter then!

**Chapter 8 ****– A firey passion**

"Return to the guise you were meant to be in…CLOW CARD!!!" Sakura yelled, touching her with her staff and sealing it into its card form. It flew right into her hands and she could read its name: The Sweet.

"It's so nice to know we'll be finally able to cook stuff in cooking class without making it too sweet" Tomoyo commented, after she had turned off her video camera. Sakura nodded. They were both with Kero in the cooking lab, and it was late at night. They had had to come late because Sakura needed the school to be empty to use magic.

She was, as always, wearing one of Tomoyo's creations. This one in particular, a yellow pompous dress, made her look like a giant marshmallow. But a really cute one :3

"Yeah, this card gave us a hard time in the cooking lab"

"Hey, Sakura, isn't it strange?" Kero asked, looking suspicious. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Uh? What do you mean, Kero?" she asked bewildered.

"Well…that Chinese brat is always trying to get ahead of you…and tonight he's not even here. I don't think he didn't notice there was a Clow Card" the guardian commented, voicing his suspicions. Tomoyo sighed and stared out the window.

"Li had been really down this past days, hasn't he?"

_**I have noticed that. Syaoran has been so down…and it kills me not being able to help him. He's my friend now, after all! And a really cute one…hey, where did that come from? Whatever…I just wish I at least knew what's bugging him so much…**_

"Yeah…and he doesn't want to tell me what's wrong…I wonder if I did something bad to him without knowing it" Sakura said, her face filling with worry. Tomoyo looked at her in confusion.

"Why do you think that, Sakura? What could you have possibly done to him?" she asked. Sakura shook her head.

"I don't know. But it gives me the impression that, every time I try to talk to him, he just gets more depressed. It's as if the mere fact of seeing me brought him sadness…" she said with a sad voice, staring out the window at the moonlight. Tomoyo sighed once more.

"I wonder…" she whispered to herself.

_**Please, Syaoran….help me understand…you're not alone…**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Flipping the channels of the TV with the remote without even really looking, Syaoran didn't even feel like himself. He felt as if he was floating, being dragged to another dimension. He had felt like that the whole week, after the incident with The Mirror. That had changed his perspective of things so much it gave him goosebumps to even think about it. He wondered if it affected him far more today because of the fact that it was again Sunday….

He was only wearing green sweat pants at the moment, since he was alone and pretended to be alone the rest of the evening. The sensation of his exposed chest and feet somehow gave him the feeling that he was still alive after all his suffering. _How can a single girl make you feel this way?_

There was a sudden knocking at the door just then. Syaoran turned towards the door, a surprised expression drawn on his features _Who could that be?_ he asked himself as he grabbed a white t-shirt and put it on himself before going over there to open the door.

Time stood still as he came face to face with none other than the center of all the past events in his life: Kinomoto Sakura.

"K-Kinomoto! What are you doing here?!" he asked as he gave a step backwards, his face turning bright red. Sakura frowned and crossed her arms in front of her chest, glaring at him.

"Kinomoto?! What the hell did I ever do to you, Li Syaoran?!"

_**The nerve of this man! We come here to see him and he greets me with my last name!**_

"I…I'm sorry….I was just surprised to see you…S-Sakura…" he corrected, fidgeting with the ends of his shirt, staring at his feet. Tomoyo then popped up from behind Sakura, as well as Kero.

"Good morning, Li!" she greeted "We were around the neighborhood and I suggested we should come see you since you've been so down lately" she explained with her always-so-charming smile. Syaoran stared at her in awe for a few minutes before jumping aside, his back straight and his eyes glued to the ceiling.

"C-Come in, then!" he said. Sakura bowed and then took off her shoes before going inside, followed close behind by Kero. Tomoyo then took off her shoes and, as she did, Syaoran leaned in towards her.

"You don't have to do this, Daidouji…" he whispered. Tomoyo smiled at him.

"Aren't you glad you can see Sakura today?" she asked. Syaoran blushed.

"I…I'm always glad…to see her"

"Then don't mention it anymore, Li. It's alright. Sakura was worried about you too, you know?" she said, walking after Sakura. Syaoran closed the door and followed them to the living room. The three of them sat there on the couches to talk.

"You live by yourself, Li?" asked Tomoyo suddenly. Syaoran nodded.

"Yeah, my whole family is in Hong Kong…"

"It must be very peaceful. I live with my dad and my brother, and Touya can be very noisy and troublesome sometimes" Sakura commented. Tomoyo giggled.

"If Touya knew you're in some guy's house right now, he'd flip!" she said. Kero sat on Sakura's shoulder.

"That man is really troublesome indeed. I get the feeling sometimes that he knows I'm there and is waiting for the right moment to catch me" the guardian commented, his little arms crossed in front of his chest. Syaoran blinked twice.

"Your brother knows about the cards?"

"No…but my brother has some kind of power too, so I think he senses something weird is going on" Sakura explained "Hey, by the way, do you have tea?"

_**I think just sitting here and talking won't cheer him up.**_

"Oh yeah, I'll go make some if you want…"

"No, no, it's ok. I want to make it myself. We came here to cheer you up, not to make you work" she said with a smile, getting up from the couch "Just tell me where the kitchen is"

"Uhm…it's that door over there…" Syaoran said, blushing and pointing towards the kitchen door. Sakura nodded.

"I'll be right back then. Let's go Kero" she signaled, and Kero followed her into the kitchen, leaving Tomoyo and Syaoran alone in the living room. There was an awkward silence between them at first, but you know Tomoyo. She wasn't about to just stay quiet.

"So, have you thought about telling Sakura how you feel about her?" she asked, in a so out-of-the-blue manner that made Syaoran almost fall off the couch with shock.

"Why the hell are you asking me that?!" he claimed. Tomoyo giggled.

"She's the reason why you've been so sad lately, isn't she?" the black-haired girl inquired. Syaoran blushed all tones of red before being actually able to answer that question.

"T-That doesn't really matter. She doesn't feel the same way towards me"

"How are you so sure she doesn't?"

"How are YOU so sure she does?"

"I never said that"

"Then why are you torturing me with this?! Just let me get over her and case closed!" he complained. Tomoyo giggled once again. Apparently she did that quite a lot, and to tell you the truth, it was a habit that was becoming rather annoying to him.

"I think you should be planning how to tell her instead of that 'getting over her' none sense. You're not gonna get over her, you see each other everyday. And to add up to that, you even go card-capturing together" Tomoyo said, in an as-a-matter-of-factly tone. Syaoran rolled his eyes in exasperation and leaned back on the couch.

"And why do you think I should tell her?" he asked impatiently, running one hand through his messy chestnut hair as he did. Tomoyo rested her elbows on her knees an leaned forward, resting her chin on top of her clasped hands, with an amused look in her eyes that made Syaoran growl inwardly. That woman was too much of it. He didn't know what it was, but she was too much. _Jeez, get a life and stop observing other people!_

"Because Sakura-chan is too dense! She will never realize it on her own. And who knows? Her answer might be a real surprise to you!"

"It could be an unpleasant one..."

"Well yeah, but are you telling me you prefer just to sit around and wonder what she would've answered? Besides, someday someone might beat you to it and you're not gonna like it" Tomoyo remarked, raising her index finger as she said so. Syaoran raised an eyebrow.

"I hate it that you're making so much sense"

"Instead of hating me you should think about yourself a little more" she added with a smile, just before Sakura came back from the kitchen with a tray, holding three cups of tea and a teapot. Syaoran quickly got up and rushed towards her.

"Let me help you with that!" he exclaimed. Sakura smiled at him.

"Thank you!" she said, making him blush once again. But even before Tomoyo could giggle, they both gasped and turned towards the window.

_**That feeling!! It's a Clow Card, I'm sure! But it's so strong! So much stronger than regular cards…**_

"Did you feel it?" asked Syaoran. Sakura nodded and placed the tray on the center table.

"It's a Clow Card" she stated. Kero flew towards the window. There was a strange red light coming from the amusement park. Tomoyo stared at it too.

"Oh my goodness, it looks like there's a fire!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, I see it!" Sakura said, scandalized. Syaoran frowned.

"It's caused by the Clow Card. It must be The Firey" he said solemnly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Hurry! We must go now! Otherwise the amusement park will be reduced to ashes!" Kero warned.

_**Oh my god! The amusement park! But then all the people there will be hurt too!! And Tomoeda will lose its only amusement park! That can't happen! I can't let that happen!**_

"No! We can't let that happen!" Sakura exclaimed "Let's go right away!"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

The fire was everywhere. Seeing such a horrific scene, Sakura and Syaoran instantly knew that they had to act as fast as they could. Syaoran swiftly agitated his pendant to one side, turning it into a sword, just as Sakura took her magic key out from under her blouse.

"Key of Clow! Power of Magic! Power of Light! Surrender the one, the force ignite! RELEASE!!!" she yelled, turning it into a staff and quickly pulling a card out of her pocket "Shield!!!" she yelled, throwing it forward to activate it with her staff, making the shield appear in front of her and Syaoran just as fire shot right at them.

"Thanks" Syaoran said. Sakura nodded.

_**My, he looks so handsome when he smiles…Jeez, Sakura, what are you thinking?! There are some important matters to attend to right now!**_

"Sakura!!! We must stop this card now!!" Kero yelled as he approached towards them. Sakura stared at him in worry.

"But how?!"

"This is The Firey, an elemental card. You must need another elemental card to tame it" Syaoran commented. Sakura nodded.

"I'll use Windy!"

"Wait, Sakura! The Firey is too strong for The Windy!" Kero warned.

"But what should I do then?!" she asked in a desperate tone. In that moment, though, it appeared in front of them. The true form of The Firey. A cocky-looking card, with messy yellow hair and long yellow wings, orange skin and red sparkling eyes. It looked at them with a mischievous smile before forming a fireball between its hands.

_**Oh my god…**_

"Sakura!! Watch out!!" Syaoran yelled, throwing himself at Sakura to push her away just in time, as The Firey launched its attack. Kero flew away too, and then turned towards them worried.

"Sakura!!" he yelled. But Sakura was fine…

"ARGH!!" complained Syaoran, who was lying on top of Sakura with a nasty burnt on his right leg, where his pants had been torn by the fire and his burnt skin was exposed. Sakura stared at him in awe.

_**I can't believe he did that again…why is he doing this? How could he stop being just my rival all of a sudden? I know we said we would be friends but… somehow…I feel as if he's not here for the cards anymore… and on top of that, he's saving my life…**_

"Syaoran…you saved me…again…"

"Don't mention it…" he said, smiling at her weakly. He suddenly remembered he was on top of her and blushed madly, rolling to the side and falling painfully on his back.

"AAARGH!!!"

"Syaoran!!" Sakura exclaimed, getting up and kneeling besides him, lifting his head and letting him rest on her lap "Syaoran…are you all right?" she asked. Syaoran smiled at her.

"I'm fine, Sakura…you must capture that card…"

"Sakura!!! Quickly!! We must do something!" came Kero flying towards them. Sakura frowned.

_**I must be strong. For Kero…for Tomoyo…for all of the people of Tomoeda. But most of all…for Syaoran. For the sake of protecting him, just as he has protected me! I can't win against The Firey with The Windy…or is it…JUST The Windy?...**_

"I got it!" Sakura exclaimed, getting up quickly and staring at The Firey card with determination "Kero, take care of Syaoran!"

"Sakura! What will you do?!" the guardian asked. Sakura smiled.

"Don't worry, everything will be just fine!" she assured, taking two cards out of her pocket and throwing them forward "Clow Cards! Help vanquish the powers of fire!! Windy! Watery!" she yelled, as she activated both cards with her staff at the same time. Both cards flew as quickly as lighting towards The Firey in no time after this, mingling their powers together, using them to annul the powers of the fire. The other card seemed confused to have been defeated.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be in! CLOW CARD!!!" yelled Sakura, sealing The Firey as soon as she could. The three elemental cards flew back into her hands just then, and the fire disappeared all around her, as if it hadn't been there.

"Sakura!!" yelled Tomoyo, as she came running from behind some bushes, her video camera high. Sakura sweatdropped.

"You were tapping?" 

"Of course! I'm always tapping the marvelous good deeds of the great Card Captor Sakura!!!" she said, with sparkling dreamy eyes.

"Sakura, congratulations" said Kero with a grin, as his little body glowed with a reddish light. Sakura gasped.

"Kero, is something wrong with you?"

"On the contrary! The fire is one of my elements, remember? By capturing The Firey, some of my powers have returned"

"So you will go back to your true form?"

"Not yet, we still need The Earthy for that" Kero pointed out

"Sakura…" Both girls and the guardian turned towards the shaking voice of Syaoran, who looked like he was having a hard time standing up. Sakura rushed towards him and pulled his arm to rest around her shoulders and help him stand still.

"Syaoran!! I made it!! And it's all thanks to you, again…" she said, smiling sweetly at him. Syaoran stared at her, dumbstruck. He couldn't begin to describe what it felt having her so close to him…and not being able to hold her just as he would like to. He buried those feelings inside him though, and instead smiled back at her, trying to show in that one smile all that he felt for her, although he doubted she would understand just in that gesture.

"I do what I can" he replied. Sakura nodded.

"Let's go…we'll take you to the nearest clinic so that they check your wound" Sakura said. As they started walking, Tomoyo helping Syaoran too, his other arm around her shoulders as both girls helped him walk with only one good leg. As they advanced, Tomoyo noticed Syaoran's glances towards Sakura and smirked.

"Li…" she whispered, catching his attention immediately "I really think you should tell her. You don't deserve to suffer like that"

"Suffer? But…"

"It's always a deep suffering, you know? Ignoring our own feelings. You will never be at peace with yourself if you do. Tell her"

"Daidouji…"

"Just do" she said with a sweet smile "You'll be surprised of the results"

"What are you guys talking about?" Sakura asked as she noticed their whispering. Syaoran turned red.

"It's nothing! NOTHING!"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Phew…took me long enough, right? My classes are becoming more and more demanding at the time…but I'll still try to update as soon as possible. Please review!! I would really love suggestions. I still need to make them capture these cards:

_The Arrow_

_The Erase_

_The Snow_

_The Glow_

_The Ilusion_

_The Light_

_The Dark_

_The Dream_

_The Earthy_

Well, see you next chapter!!!


	9. Always there for you

Hello everyone!!!! I managed to finish this one fast because I haven't been too busy this week. And maybe I'll finish another one by the weekend, but I'm not sure because I'll be going back home!!! I'm so happy to be going home!!! This'll be my only visit to my parents this semester before winter vacations XD

Oh well, back to business. I'll answer the reviews first.

**Colorhope-4ever** – Si, si se español. De hecho si quieres hablarme en español puedes hacerlo. Soy mexicana XD Y siempre prefiero mi idioma, pero escribo fanfics en inglés para no perder la práctica. Aún no estoy segura de cual será la última carta, pero imagino que acabará siendo The Earthy como en la serie, para que Kero no pueda ayudar demasiado todavía xD

**Lhaine07** – I took your meaning XD Yeah, I would also want a Syaoran for myself…but don't tell my boyfriend xD

**Rubbish** – Lol, thanks for the suggestions, I sort of used one of them here...and I'm always glad to know you are liking it.

**AkitoxXxSana46** – Thank you! So glad to know you think that!

**Jennycuenca** – There's a little of the 'nursing' situation in this chapter. As for the rivals…we still have a long story to go, so who knows? XD Thanks a lot for your help!!!

**Pipi-chan** – Angelica? Hola, jeje. Pues si va a ser larga XD falta mucho por recorrer en la trama. Ya habia pensado usar The Glow de esa manera, pero no lo de The Ilusion, me encantaron tus sugerencias!!! Gracias, mas adelante apareceran cosas asi en la historia…

**SakuraJade** – Yeah, Tomoyo is the best XD I'm glad you're living my ideas, thanks for your comments!!!

And now back to the story!!!

**Chapter 9 – Alway****s there for you**

"Hey, Syaoran!!" Sakura said as he opened the door of his apartment after hearing her knocking on it. Syaoran blushed and stepped back at the sight of her, never really expecting to have her as a visit at his house although it had gotten pretty often since the incident with The Firey three days ago. She carried a big packed lunch with her, which made Syaoran wonder if she had made lunch especially for him and blushed even more.

"H-hey…Sakura…"

"How's your leg today, Syaoran?"

"Uhm…it's fine, really, I told you…you don't need to worry…" he stated shyly. He couldn't help but notice she was wearing very cute purple blouse with long sleeves and turtle neck, which really accentuated the upper part of her body, and a not-so-long white skirt to match, with light purple boots. Her hair was tied up in a bun, messy uneven bangs falling on her face, adding up to her juvenile and very cute-looking appearance.

_**Damn, she's s**__**o beautiful… I can't believe how much I fell for her but…I guess I can't deny it to myself any longer. Not after even confessing it to Tomoyo…**_

"And I told you already that it's the least I can do for you since you once again so gallantly saved my life! Stop being so modest, Syaoran!" she said with a sweet smile. Syaoran lowered his face, his bangs shadowing his eyes as he did.

"It was nothing, really. And I can walk freely now. Anyways…do you want to come inside?" he said, stepping aside. Sakura nodded and proceeded to take off her shoes at the entrance.

"Oh, by the way, I brought you lunch!"

"I noticed…uhm…you really shouldn't bother yourself so much…"

"Syaoran, come on! It's no bother! Besides, I wanted to eat with you" she explained as she continued walking towards the kitchen. Syaoran stared at her back like he was in some kind of trance.

_**I wish I could just tell her how I feel…but I can't bring myself to do so…**_

"Come on, Syaoran!" Sakura said, as she turned around and noticed that Syaoran hadn't moved from the spot just next to the entrance door. Syaoran jumped slightly, being pulled out from his train of thoughts, and smiled shyly at her.

"Sure…"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"THIS CAKE IS DELICIOUS!!!" exclaimed Kero as he swallowed another big piece of the strawberry cake Tomoyo had made for him. Tomoyo giggled as she watched him, taking another sip of her green tea and pushing his tea slightly to remind him he had to drink something in order not to choke with his food.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, little Kero" she said sweetly. Kero smiled and rubbed his cheeks to clean all of the cream he had smothered his face with. He then turned towards Tomoyo with a more serious gaze, his eyebrows crossed in a frown.

"Although I still don't understand why you said I needed to leave Sakura along with the Chinese brat. Is there something serious they needed to talk about?" he questioned, sounding slightly intrigued. Tomoyo giggled in her very common mischievous way of doing so.

"Well, I think it's Li"

"The brat?"

"Yeah, I think he needs to talk to Sakura"

"But we've been going to his house every afternoon for the past three days…why today?" he asked. Tomoyo shook her head.

"There isn't anything special about today. But he can't speak to Sakura clearly if we're there"

"Why? What does he have to tell her that is soooo important?"

"Sorry, little Kero, that's purely human business"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Do you like it?" Sakura asked as Syaoran tasted one of the oniigiris (rice balls, lol) from the lunch she had brought. They were both sitting at the kitchen table, having some iced green tea with their meal, and everything Sakura had brought was now placed on different plates on the table. Syaoran swallowed before answering the question.

"Yeah...it's actually very good. Did you make these?"

"YES! Well, my dad helped me, but I'm getting better at it! I just don't seem to get the shape right sometimes" she admitted, blushing a bit and lowering her gaze to the table surface. Syaoran blushed too.

_**It feels so good to be eating something she made for me…**_

"I…uh…remember that…when we got detention, you also brought these…"

"Oh, right! Yeah, but those were made only by my dad"

"Yeah, I remember you telling me that"

"I hope these are not so different…I did my best, really!! I wanted to make them for you, Syaoran!!" she said with a sincere smile.

………_**for me?**_

"Well, I think they are just fine" he added. Sakura smiled at him.

"Thank you, Syaoran"

"I...I think I should be thanking you instead. You really shouldn't bother yourself so much because of me" he said. Sakura giggled.

"Don't worry about it, really" she stated, moving her hand and accidentally knocking her iced tea to the floor. She gasped just as the glass crashed against the floor surface, shattering completely and spreading tea all over the place. Syaoran and Sakura both got up from their chairs as this happened.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry, Syaoran! I'll clean this right away!"

"No, no, please sit down! I'll take care of it!"

"No, really--"

"I insist!" he said, kneeling down to pick up the pieces of glass. Sakura knelt down in front of him.

_**Like hell I'm gonna make her clean! It's the least I can do after making her worry about me…**_

"Wait, Syaoran, you shouldn't--!"

"Ouch!" he exclaimed, just as he cut his hand with a sharp piece of glass. Sakura gasped.

_**And that's for not paying attention to what I do.**_

"Syaoran!!! Are you ok??!!!"

"Yeah...It's no big deal..." he said, trying to pull his hand away. But Sakura reached for it quickly enough.

"Come on, we have to wash this!" she said, pulling him up and towards the sink, turning the water on and placing his hurt hand under the faucet. Syaoran was quietly and obediently letting her do what she wanted, staring at her like a fool. Sakura noticed his stare suddenly and smiled.

"What is it? Does it hurt?"

"Uh? Oh, no, it's just...curious"

"Curious?"

"Yeah, I thought girls couldn't bear to look at blood" he admitted, making her giggle. He felt his heart flip at the musical sound of her laughter.

"Well, I don't mind. I guess Touya has always been a very reckless boy, since we were little, and he would frequently come back home with his knees bleeding after football practice"

"Touya is your brother?"

"Older brother, yeah"

"Oh..." he then stayed silent as his hand stopped bleeding, and Sakura reached for a handkerchief. Taking his hand from under the water, she tied the handkerchief around it, over the wound on his palm. To Syaoran's shock, she then pulled his hand towards her lips and kissed it slightly, making him turn all tones of red.

"There! My dad always did that when I got hurt, sorry. It's out of habit" she replied with a goofy smile. Syaoran stared at her in awe. And suddenly, he made his mind about everything. Ignoring Tomoyo's 'You should tell her' comment, he decided he would just do it. He would just grab her and kiss her and pour all his feelings into it.

_**Yes…I'll do it now. I admitted it to myself, I'm not gonna deny it any longer! I love her, damnit! I LOVE HER!!! I need to make her see just how much I love her and maybe…just maybe…she'll love me just as much. But I will never know if I don't try…**_

Syaoran grabbed her suddenly by her shoulders, startling her a little. Sakura stared back at him with widened eyes.

"Syaoran? What is it?" she asked. Syaoran felt his hands trembling a little. He was nervous, of course, but he wouldn't back away from it now. He was determined to do it.

"Sakura…" he whispered. He was about to lean in and kiss her like there was no tomorrow, when….

"Oh! I had forgotten to tell you!" Sakura exclaimed all of a sudden, making Syaoran jump out of tension.

"Uh???"

"I captured another card today" she said, breaking free from his grip and going to fetch it from her backpack. She handed it over to him so he could see it. Syaoran took the card and stared at it…

_The Arrow_

He then looked at Sakura with a worried gaze.

"Are you ok? This card could've hurt you!" he said. Sakura nodded.

"It scratched my arm a little" she commented, raising her left sleeve a little to reveal a bandage "But it was nothing, really" she said. Syaoran stared at the wound for a blank expression on his face, and then reached out with one of his hands and caressed the skin around it.

"That's good to know…" he whispered. Sakura stared at him and blushed, feeling a little awkward as he caressed her skin. But she felt strangely…comfortable…with it…

"Syaoran…" she said in a whisper. Syaoran looked into her eyes once again and then, with his other hand, he cupped her chin gently.

_**Ok, it's now or never! NOW!!!**_

"Sakura…I…"

—_GASP—_

"A Clow Card!" they both said, turning their gazes towards the entrance door. Sakura turned back towards Syaoran with a determined look on her eyes.

"Can you come? Is your leg ok?" she asked. Syaoran nodded

"Yeah, don't worry"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Sakura!!!" Kero yelled as he approached the pair.

"Kero!! Where's all the people?!" she asked worried. She had noticed that, around the block, there was no one to be seen, and since it wasn't late, it was disturbing. Syaoran frowned, also concerned about the lack of people around them.

"It was the card, wasn't it?" he asked. Kero nodded.

"We must find the location from where the card is acting and then say its name out loud to seal it" he informed. It just then occurred to Sakura…

"Kero…where's Tomoyo?" she asked, a little afraid of the answer he would give her. Kero sighed.

"She…she disappeared too" he said. Sakura felt her eyes go watery at the news.

"Tomoyo…"

"Calm down, we must find the card. If we do, Tomoyo will be fine, as will the rest of the people that vanished" Syaoran said, resting a hand on her shoulder, trying to keep her calm. Sakura stared at his hand and then looked up at him in awe.

"Thank you, Syaoran…" she said. Syaoran blushed and looked away from her.

"Whatever, just hurry. We must finish this soon or we'll disappear too"

_**And I would kill myself if I lost you…**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Are you sure it's around here?" Kero asked, looking everywhere. Sakura nodded.

"I can't be mistaken; I feel it strongly around here. Besides, Syaoran already checked with his chart" she answered, holding on to her staff. They were flying over a small back alley, Kero flying freely as always, and both Syaoran and Sakura flying on the staff that had grown wings with the help of The Fly. Syaoran was blushing slightly at the fact of being so close to her, obliged by the situation itself.

"Right down there. We must land now" Syaoran said, pointing at the ground. Sakura nodded and they descended smoothly, landing behind some old wood boxes at the alley entrance. It was a dead end, and at the very bottom there was a huge cabinet that looked abandoned.

"It's coming from that cabinet, no doubt about it" Sakura whispered. Kero nodded.

"Let's approach carefully" the guardian suggested. Slowly, they walked from behind the boxes and started walking towards the cabinet, sword and staff in hand respectively. Syaoran glanced sideways at Sakura, and was amazed to see that determined look on her face. She had really gotten over her fears at that moment.

"SYAORAN!!!!" he jumped at hearing her scream like that, and he suddenly realized he was feeling a little funny…

"Brat! Look at your feet!" Kero warned. Syaoran looked down. His feet were transparent!

Oh crap…

"Syaoran, no!!! Don't leave me alone!!!" Sakura yelled, dropping her staff to the ground and running towards him. Syaoran reached out for her and held her hands in his, staring deeply into her eyes. He was surprised to see that they were getting watery.

"Sakura…"

_**I want to tell her what I feel…but this isn't the time…**_

"Syaoran, I need you to be with me!" she cried. Syaoran smiled sweetly at her.

"I know you can do this on your own. You're a better card captor than me"

"Don't say that! Please…Please don't leave me!"

_**And still…here, with her hands in mine…I feel like it is…**_

"Hurry up and seal it, Sakura!!! You must say its name!" Kero said, as Syaoran's feet vanished and the transparency extended on his body all the way to his waist. Sakura watched this horrified, still not letting go of Syaoran's hands.

"But I don't know its name!!!"

"But I do"

_**I have no time left. I must help her.**_

"What?" Sakura looked at Syaoran with widened eyes. Syaoran smiled and closed his eyes. The transparency had extended up to his neck, and half of his body was already history. Sakura started to feel his hands disappearing from her own.

"It's the Erase" were his last words, before disappearing completely. In that moment, by hearing its name being pronounced, The Erase appeared in front of Sakura in its true form. Sakura frowned as she rushed to get her staff from the ground.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be in!! CLOW CARD!!!" she said, sealing it with the tip of her staff, making it go back to its card form. As soon as this happened, it flew away and stopped in mid-air just a few feet from where she was standing at the moment. A hand appeared around it, holding it with ease, and soon a body added up to that hand. Syaoran was back in no time.

"See? I told you. What was that you always say?" he said with a goofy smile. Sakura sniffed and smiled at him optimistically.

"Everything will be alright" she recited. Syaoran smiled at her.

"It will. Don't you ever doubt that" he assured. They just stared at each other in silence for a few moments, even forgetting the presence of the small guardian Kero, who was looking at them as if they had gone mad.

I won't if you are by my side" Sakura replied with a sincere smile. Syaoran sighed.

"Don't worry. I'll be there"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

End of the chapter!!!! And now we're down to the last seven cards!!!

_The Snow_

_The Glow_

_The Ilusion_

_The Light_

_The Dark_

_The Dream_

_The Earthy_

I already got good suggestions from some of you, but if anyone else has more, I'm more than willing to listen!!! Or read, lol. Please review!!!


	10. Never break a promise

Hey everyone! Sorry to keep you waiting, here's the next chapter!!! And it's really long!!! Oh, but I have to answer the reviews before I go into detail.

**Rubbish** – Thanks for your suggestion…and well, about the cards…yeah, I'm evil XD

**Jennycuenca** – Me too, he's taking long enough, isn't he?

**Angelica** – Y se va a poner mas diferente XD

**Lhaine07** – I think you'll like this chapter then, on Sakura's point of view of things.

**Colorhope-4ever** – Jejejeje, ya se, me la paso haciendo sufrir al pobre de Syaoran. Y sufrira mas XD Espero te siga gustando de cualquier modo.

I also had to tell you that I may not be updating next week, due to exams and projects and stuff…you know…college is demanding. This semester is really light, that's why I can write and stuff, but I still have busy periods.

Anyway, on with the story

**Chapter 10 – ****Never break a promise**

"Good morning!!!" Sakura said as she came inside the kitchen, where her brother Touya was already having breakfast. Her father smiled at her, as sincerely and light-heartedly as he always did.

"Good morning, Sakura. How are you? Did you sleep well?"

"Yeap!" she said, sitting down at the table, in front of Touya, who smirked at her.

"So early for a monster to be awake…"

"I'm not a monster!!!"

"Still…I see you woke up early today" Fujitaka observed as he too sat at the table. Sakura smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I have to be at school really early. Today's the school festival and Tomoyo needs to start the preparations for the modeling show as soon as possible. I think I'll be there all day" she commented cheerfully. It had been a long time of work and planning and they finally were going to do it! It was actually hard for her to believe.

_**Tom**__**oyo seemed very happy about it yesterday! I bet she couldn't even get some sleep last night, she was so excited she could explode! Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating, but she is indeed very excited…and I'm so nervous!!! I have never modeled in front of so many people!!! Up to now it had been just for Tomoyo alone…and well, Kero and Syaoran had been there too, when I use her costumes to go capture the Clow Cards. I wonder what Syaoran thinks about it? He must think we're just weird…Syaoran…why am I thinking about him so much lately?**_

"Well, just don't break stuff, you monster"

"I SAID I WASN'T A MONSTER, TOUYA!!!"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Good morning, Syaoran!" Sakura said as she entered the empty classroom, which was only occupied at the moment by the boy mentioned, who that day had to do class service in the morning. At the sound of her voice, Syaoran almost dropped the vase her was carrying.

"S-Sakura! Good morning!" he managed to reply, holding on to the vase. Sakura giggled and then took off her coat.

"It's really cold today" she commented. Syaoran looked away and nodded.

"I heard on the news it was going to snow soon" he added. Sakura's eyes shone like stars at the mention of such and event.

"Really???!!! I love snow!!!" she exclaimed. Syaoran blushed even more.

"I don't know, I don't like cold weather…"

"Oh don't say that, Syaoran! It's gonna be fun, you'll see. Maybe we can go drink hot chocolate later, after the event!"

"Event?"

"Syaoran! Don't tell me you forgot!"

"Oh…that's right…Tomoyo's thing"

"Don't call it that! It's not only 'Tomoyo's thing', it's a big deal! We've been working hard for it"

"Ok, ok, sorry"

"Well, I gotta run, Tomoyo must be expecting me down the hall. But promise me we'll have hot chocolate together later!!!" she said enthusiastically, jumping in front of him with a huge smile and raising her right hand, sticking her pinky out. Syaoran turned deep red at this gesture and then entangled his own right pinky with hers.

"All right…"

"Yay!!! See you later, then! Oh, you must come and see us! Rika, Naoko and Chiharu are participating too!" she said. Syaoran stared in confusion.

"They design clothes too?"

"Of course not, that's all on Tomoyo! We'll be models!" she clarified. Syaoran took a step back and blushed even more at this statement.

"M-Models? Y-You too?" he couldn't help but asking. This time, it was Sakura who blushed a little.

"Yeah…I know I'm not as pretty as Rika and the others but…"

"What? No! I didn't mean that! You're beautiful!"

"What?" Sakura asked in shock as Syaoran clasped a hand against his mouth, suddenly realizing what he had said. For a loooong while, they just stood there, frozen, eyes widened at each other and pink-colored cheeks. Syaoran wanted to die of embarrassment and Sakura didn't really know what to think about the whole situation.

_**My heart…it suddenly started beating faster…why? Is it because of what Syaoran said just now? He did say it though…it wasn't my imagination. He said I was beautiful…Does he really think that? That I'm beautiful? I…I think he's handsome too…**_

"I-I'm sorry…I…" Syaoran started saying, not managing a whole phrase in the state of shock he currently was. Sakura didn't look away from him, their eyes still intensely locked. It was a moment that Syaoran could not ignore, and could not let go to waste.

"Syaoran…" Sakura whispered. Syaoran felt his heart skip a beat at the sound of her melodious voice mentioning his name in such a tone, and he reached forward with both hands to cautiously grasp her by the shoulders, intensifying his gaze towards her.

"Sakura…I…I've been meaning to…to tell you that…"

"SAKURAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" they almost fell backwards from the impression of hearing such a sudden yell coming from down the hallway. Sakura sweatdropped. She knew it was Tomoyo, suddenly wondering where she was, since she was now officially late. She looked at Syaoran apologetically, smiling faintly.

"I'm sorry, I think I have to go" she said. Syaoran immediately took his hands away from her shoulders, as if suddenly he had been burnt by the touch of her, and jumped backwards slightly, deeply embarrassed and slightly disappointed.

"Yeah! Ok…"

"But we'll talk later, ok? You promised we would have hot chocolate together, don't forget!"

"I won't…"

"See you, Syaoran!" she exclaimed as she opened the classroom door, got out and closed it behind her.

For a few moments, she just stood there outside the classroom, her back against the door, he cheeks with a bright red color still on them.

_**What was going to happen just now?? It was so…weird. Syaoran's eyes…there was something in his eyes that told me it wasn't something to be taken lightly, what he was going to say….What was he going to tell me? And why do I feel…like I already know??**_

Sighing in defeat, realizing her own thoughts would not get her any answers, she shook her head and stood straight.

_**This is not the time to think about that! Tomoyo needs me!**_

And with this last thought, she rushed down the hallway towards the auditorium where the event was going to be held, not ever realizing that, just like her, Syaoran had been with his back to the door on the opposite side…thinking about her.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Syaoran couldn't help but look around him in awe as he entered the auditorium. He had to admit it looked astounding. Certainly, Sakura and the others had lost no time at all, and had managed to gather enough money to put up with an amazing show. There were picture frames with Tomoyo's designs hanging on the walls, tons of multi-colored balloons everywhere he set eyes upon, and the marquee that showed the name of the event (Tomoeda's Seasonal Fashion Display) looked like it had been handmade by Rika, since she was the one good at those kinds of things. The stage of the auditorium had been adapted for the show, so that the girls could model.

In his astonishment, he didn't look were he was going and suddenly bumped into a tall black-haired man.

"Ow! Sorry…"

"Oi! You brat! Look where you're going!"

"I said I was sorry…" Syaoran repeated, frowning a little. He didn't like this guy's attitude. The stranger eyed him suspiciously.

"Who are you?"

"Uhm…I'm in the same class as Daidouji and the others…"

"Are you here to watch the girls model, you pervert?!"

"Hey, it's not like that! I got invited!"

"Oh yeah? By whom?"

"Uh…Kinomoto Sakura" he decided to say at last. The guy seemed completely taken aback by this statement, and not at all pleased by it either.

"WHAT?! What kind of relationship do YOU have with MY little sister?!" he suddenly yelled at him. Syaoran raised an eyebrow.

"You must be Kinomoto Touya…"

"Damn right I am!"

"Uh…well…I'm just a friend of your little sister, so leave me alone" he finally said, brushing past by him and going to look for a seat where he could watch everything. He lowered his head, as a sudden and unexpected sadness overwhelmed him.

"Hey, Li! Over here, saved you a seat!" he heard someone call out to him, and looked up. It was Yamazaki, who had saved him very well-positioned seat. That cheered him up a bit, and as he walked over to his friend, he couldn't help but smile…although it was a slightly sad smile…

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Oh my god, Tomoyo!!! That was such a hit!!!" Naoko exclaimed as she hurried towards her friend, who was looking flustered. She had just gone on stage to say her event was over and thank everyone for coming, and the amount of applause she had received had overwhelmed her.

"Yeah, it was so cool! And I wasn't that nervous after all!" said Chiharu.

"Me neither! You're clothes are so nice you just feel confident in them!" Rika added with a smile. Tomoyo felt on the verge of tears at their sweet comments of support.

"Thanks, girls, it means a lot for me…"

"Tomoyo!!! Congratulations!!!" exclaimed Sakura as she ran towards her and threw her arms around her neck in a tight and friendly hug.

"Thank you so much for everything, Sakura dear"

"It was nothing, Tomoyo! What are friends for?" she asked with a smile.

_**I knew Tomoyo was trying not to make it look like a big deal, but it's so obvious it is for her! I'm really happy I could be a part of all **__**this and I'm even sad it had to end so fast! The girls and I each modeled about 5 or 6 pieces of clothing and it was a great success!!! But the lights on us were so intense I couldn't make out the faces of those in the audience. I wonder if Touya and Yukito came to see me as they said they would…and…also…I wonder if Syaoran was there…**_

"Hey girls, what do you say if we go to my place and celebrate?! Girls night out!" Tomoyo exclaimed suddenly. Rika, Naoko and Chiharu cheered to that idea, immediately starting to make plans for the evening. Sakura gasped and clasped a hand over her mouth.

"What is it, Sakura?" asked Rika. Sakura shook her head.

"Oh..it's…it's just that I had something to do tonight…"

"Well, change it for some other day, then! Today is special!" Chiharu pouted at her. Sakura felt a little nervous.

"I…guess I could…"

"What do you have to do, anyways?" asked Naoko suspiciously. Sakura felt her face temperature rise considerably at the sound of this question.

"I…I…I just…promised…" she didn't know why, but she felt really embarrassed to say it.

_**Again, I felt myself blushing over him…and somehow, **__**I'm guessing because of this, Tomoyo immediately knew.**_

"It's because of Li, right?" Tomoyo asked with a grin. Sakura really turned the same color as an apple with this statement, and the others giggled.

"What makes you think that?" she asked, taken aback by this.

"Well…maybe because you're blushing like crazy…and maybe because he's over there and seems to be waiting for you since he hasn't taken his eyes from the back of your head for a few minutes now" Tomoyo explained, pointing at a spot behind Sakura. When she turned around, se immediately gasped. She hadn't noticed, but Syaoran had sneaked back stage and was now waiting diligently by the door, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed in front of his chest, and a shy smile on his face.

"Hey…" he said. Sakura lowered her gaze to her feet.

"Hey…"

_**Why am I suddenly uncomfortable talking to him?**__** I'm never this shy!**_

"Uhm…we don't have to go if you have something else to do…" he said. Sakura shook her head.

"But we promised!"

"It doesn't matter…we'll go some other day. See you" he said, turning around and rushing out of back stage.

"Wait, Syaoran!! SYAORAN!!!" Sakura tried calling him, but he was soon already out of sight. Tomoyo looked at her worried.

"Shouldn't you go after him?" she suggested. Sakura sighed.

"No…it's ok…I practically forced him to promise that…he probably never liked the idea anyway…" she said, a sad smile forming on her mouth.

_**And yet…something in me wanted to think he really did want to go with me…**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Syaoran slammed the door of his apartment shot as soon as he reached it, falling backwards on the floor, sitting with his back against the door. He brought his legs up close to his chest and buried his face in between his arms.

_I really did think, for a moment….for a blissful moment….that she wanted to go out with me…_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Good morning, everyone!" said professor Terada as he walked into the classroom.

"Good morning!" everyone responded, taking their seats. Sakura sighed as she heard Syaoran take his own seat behind her. He hadn't talked to her since that last time after the big event, when he went home without going out with her for hot chocolate and she was starting to worry.

_**He must think I'm the worst person ever for making plans on the day we promised to go out…but then again, he never really gave me time to explain! I would've gone out with him if he had given me a chance to excuse myself with Tomoyo and the others! It had been a promise, after all!**_

"Today, before we start with what we have to do, I wanted to do some arrangements with you, guys. As you know, we are only a couple of weeks away from winter vacations and, since we're not going to see each other in a while, the teachers have planned to do a gift exchange, each teacher with his or her classroom" professor Terada announced, making everyone in the classroom cheer with excitement, immediately exchanging comments about how fun it was going to be for everyone. Tomoyo smiled at Sakura, but she just smiled back weakly.

"I guess we'll have some fun out of it…" Sakura said, her voice sounding dull and sad. Tomoyo sighed. She knew what was going on, and it was starting to annoy her. For her, it was obvious. But if Syaoran wasn't going to do anything, Sakura would never notice her own feelings…

"Yeah, I bet we will" Tomoyo answered, smiling sweetly at her. She then turned towards Syaoran and sighed again. He was leaning on his desk, staring longingly outside the window. He seemed so sad, too. But Tomoyo knew she couldn't interfere. It was something they would have to figure out by themselves.

"Well, I have here all of your names in small pieces of paper. I will go by your places and give everyone the chance to pick out a name and that will be your 'secret friend'. During the next three weeks, you will have to randomly leave gifts for this person, small ones, like candy or small letters. That'll give that person a chance to try and guess who you are. But the real deal will be the last day of school, when we will exchange Christmas gifts" explained the professor, making everyone giggle and whisper among themselves. He then started walking among the students, and one by one they picked a folded piece of paper randomly, unfolding it and finding out who they would be giving the gift to.

Tomoyo's turn came soon, and she reached inside the box. She looked at her choice and giggled.

Sakura's turn was next. She reached into the box, her face not really displaying that much interest. That changed a little, though, when she got to see who her secret friend was. It made her smile brightly as soon as she read the piece of paper.

_**Daidouji **__**Tomoyo**_

This couldn't be that bad now. She was, after all, her best friend. She would always enjoy herself giving her a gift and making her smile.

Tomoyo, meanwhile, stared intently as Syaoran reached into the box for his own piece of paper. He opened it and read it. Yet, his expression was unreadable. Tomoyo sighed. She had hoped Syaoran would get Sakura as his secret friend, but if that had happened he would've blushed or something, right? And yet, it seemed as he hadn't really displayed a reaction to the name written in his piece of paper. It must've been someone he doesn't even speak to.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Good morning, Sakura!" Tomoyo said, as she saw Sakura walking towards the lockers.

"Good morning, Tomoyo. How are you today?" she replied, as she reached down for her shoes.

"I'm fine. I received something from my secret friend yesterday! Yamazaki went to my place to give it to me on his or her behalf! It was a really delicious pumpkin pie!!!" Tomoyo said excitedly. Sakura smiled.

_**So good to know she liked it! I gave it my best to bake it!**_

"I'm happy for you, Tomoyo"

"So, have you received anything?"

"Not yet. I'm really looking forwards to it, though!" Sakura said enthusiastically. Tomoyo smiled. She had noticed this whole 'secret friend deal' had really cheered her up a bit lately. She just hoped Syaoran would cheer up a little too.

"Oh my god!!!" Sakura exclaimed as she opened her locker, making Tomoyo, who had been lost in thought for a little while there, jump a little.

"What is it, Sakura?"

"LOOK!" she exclaimed, pointing with her index finger towards her opened locker. Tomoyo clasped a hand on her mouth at the sight of it. Sakura's locker was filled with red rose petals, a single cookie package in the middle of it all. Sakura reached for it inside and noticed a small piece of paper on the side.

_From your secret friend_

"Oh my god…it seems like someone is really after a good impression" Sakura commented, genuinely surprised. Tomoyo frowned.

"Uh…Sakura, do you mind if I meet you at the classroom? I have to go do something" she said quickly. Sakura, who was still staring with disbelief at the beautiful box of bear-shaped chocolates, just nodded at her question, after which Tomoyo took off towards the classroom. She got inside, opening and closing the door rather hastily, and hurried towards her final destination: Syaoran's desk. The boy was just sitting there, staring out the window.

"It was you all along. I knew it" Tomoyo said in a whisper, the tone of her voice slightly threatening. Syaoran didn't even turn to look at her.

"So what if it's me?"

"What do you think you're doing? What do you think Sakura will think of you when she finds out the charming secret friend is the same person that has been ignoring and making her miserable for the past weeks?!" Tomoyo asked, still trying not to be overheard. This time, her words forced Syaoran to look up at her.

"Miserable? I don't understand…"

"Oh, drop the act, Li! You have been ignoring her completely!"

"What are you talking about? Sakura is better off without me, I think it's for the best that I don't get in her way"

"That's what you say! But that's not for you to decide!"

"What's done, is done"

"Can't you see you're hurting her?!"

"I don't think she bothers herself that much just because of me…"

"YOU THINK?!"

"Stop it, Daidouji, everyone's watching us" Syaoran pointed out, making Tomoyo blush slightly as she saw this to be true. Her last words had been increasing in volume as her anger towards Syaoran's reckless actions had been rising. She frowned at him one last time before taking her seat, visibly angry. And that wasn't a very frequent mood in her.

"Good morning!" Sakura said as she walked into the classroom, holding the box of cookies against her chest. Chiharu rushed towards her immediately, and Syaoran turned towards her instinctively.

"Oh, Sakura! You should see what my secret friend gave me!!!" she exclaimed with excitement. Sakura stared at her with curiosity.

"Oh, what did you get?" she asked. Syaoran, without being able to help himself, started listening to the whole conversation, as both girls advanced slowly towards Sakura's seat, which gave him a very comfortable eavesdropping position since he was seated behind her.

"A small angel made of beads to hang from my cell phone! Look!" she said, taking it out of her pocket. Sakura stared at it in awe, as she put her backpack down on her desk.

"Woaaah!!! It looks so pretty!!!" she said, admiring the small but sparkly gift. Chiharu nodded.

"I bet my secret friend is a nice and handy person" she said, optimistically. Sakura sweatdropped.

_**By the looks of it, I bet it is Tomoyo-chan…**__**she has always been so good at making those sorts of stuff…and has no trouble getting them either, from her mom's company…**_

"By the way, what did you get, Sakura?" she asked, eyeing the box of bear-shaped cookies. Sakura blushed madly.

"Uhm…I got these…and a lot of rose petals in my shoe locker…" she said shyly. Chiharu squealed at this, as well as Naoko, who had been around and listening to her every word. Both girls jumped with excitement and started looking around the classroom.

"Oh, I bet I know who it is! It must be Hideki!" Naoko said suddenly, pointing discreetly at a boy who was standing near the blackboard, talking to other guys. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Hideki? Why would it be Hideki?"

_**I haven't even talked that much to him, now that I think of it…**_

"Well, I did hear him say that he fancied you a couple of days ago. Has he asked you out yet?" asked Chiharu. Sakura's ears turned crimson at the mention of this. And Syaoran, who was still listening to everything, felt a really uncomfortable chill go down his spine as he inevitably pictured his beloved Sakura going out with some other guy who wasn't him.

"Chiharu! Of course he hasn't! I don't think--"

"Oh my god, look! He's staring at you!" Naoko interrupted Sakura's response with a nervous eagerness. Sakura turned towards the boy, who was a tall and handsome black-haired classmate of hers, and gasped as she realized he was looking back at her. Suddenly, he smiled at her, and waved with his right hand. Sakura blushed as she heard Naoko and Chiharu squeal once again, and then waved back shyly.

_**Wow…he is good-looking…and still…he's not Syaoran. God, no…I think I like Syaoran…it's the only explanation for me having this kind of feelings and doubts…I mean, how can I not feel any kind of attraction towards a guy like **__**Hideki, anyways? Maybe, if what Chiharu is saying is true, I should give the guy a chance. After all…I think Syaoran doesn't like me much anymore…And Hideki-san seems like a nice guy.**_

Sakura smiled at him sweetly. Syaoran, on the other hand, frowned at him. He suddenly felt all of his blood boiling inside him with anger, and some other feeling he had never experienced before…

Jealousy.

"See??!!! It must be him! I'm telling you, he likes you!" Chiharu said. Sakura blushed even more, and suddenly realized Hideki was walking towards her. In a flash, Chiharu and Naoko were gone, leaving them alone (if you don't count Syaoran eavesdropping, of course XD).

"Hey, Kinomoto-san. Good morning" he said with a charming voice, which made Syaoran want to puke.

"Good morning, Hideki-san" she replied, staring at her feet.

"Listen, uh…I was wondering if you had any plans for Friday afternoon…" he asked, as he scratched the back of his head, looking obviously nervous. Syaoran froze _This guy is fast!_

"F-Friday?" Sakura asked, taken aback by this. Apparently, she hadn't been expecting him to be that fast, either.

"Yeah, I kinda…wanted to take you out for dinner…if you would go with me, of course…"

"Why? Why me?" she asked confused. His whole face turned red.

"Uh…well…for a long time now I have been watching you and…well…I think you're very nice and…pretty and stuff…"

_Pretty and stuff?! How lame is that?!_ Syaoran wanted to scream.

"Really?" Sakura asked innocently and genuinely surprised. Hideki smiled.

"Really. And you can call me Kotarou, by the way. Can I call you Sakura?"

"Uh…yeah, it's ok"

"And…what do you say? Do you want to go?" he asked, fear invading his eyes as he did. Sakura stared back at him, deep in thought.

_There's no way she's gonna say yes to that, she doesn't even know him! And that was like the stupidest way of asking! EVER!_ Syaoran thought, mentally grinning at the idea of Sakura ditching this guy.

"…Ok" she finally said. Syaoran fell from his chair to the floor, making everyone turn to look at him.

"Li! Are you ok? What happened to you?" asked Chiharu, who was nearest to him at that moment. Syaoran brushed her off rather rudely.

"Nothing! I'm fine!" he said, getting up and taking his seat once again. Professor Terada then entered the classroom and Kotarou (which is how I'll call him now) waved goodbye to Sakura and took his own seat, which was at the front row. Sakura sat down too, as did everyone, and classes began.

Somewhere through the class, Syaoran tossed a small folded piece of paper towards Tomoyo. Surprised by the gesture, she opened it.

**Why didn't you do anything, Daidouji! That guy is a complete stranger to her!**

Tomoyo frowned and scribbled her response, throwing the paper back without glancing, not even once, towards him. Syaoran raised an eyebrow at her suddenly rude behavior, unfolding the piece of paper to read her answer from it.

**I'm not the one who has to do something about it, am I?**

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!!! It was long! I had so many ideas! XD I hope everyone enjoys it!!! I know there were no cards in this chapter, but I needed it that way for the storyline to continue. Oh well, enough said. Please review!!!!


	11. It's him over me or me over him?

Hey! I managed to finish another chapter before the exam period takes over my life! XD And the last chappie got so much reviews!!! I'm so happy!!! I'll answer all of them!

**AkitoxXxSana46** – Yeah, she really should listen to that XD

**Teruna Hime **– Hey! Funny how I was thinking about something on that line! I hope you like how it turned out. I always accept suggestions :D

**Amey27** – Sure! And thanks for reviewing :)

**Jennycuenca** – Yes, they have some stuff to fix indeed, you'll see how it turns out…

**Lhaine07 **– Me neither, but they are just sooo dense…both of them…and don't worry, when they do confess…it'll be worth the while XD I'll make sure of that.

**Saphirablossom **– Of course I can't. Just read and find out XD

**Angelica** – Jajajaja, si, soy muy mala, muajaja X3

**Lala **– Nah, Kotarou is a nice guy…he's just not Sakura's type, we all know she loves Syaoran :)

**BubblySakura** – Yeah, he better fix this XD

**Gero** – Heeey!!! Que onda!!! Que lindo de tu parte que hayas leído todos mis fics, de verdad que te lo aprecio!!! Me encantaría poder hablar mas contigo, mándame tu msn a ice(guionbajo)ainu(arroba)yahoo(punto)com XD lo escribo así porque si no luego lo borra el algoritmo del sitio de fanfiction.

**Colorhope-4ever** – Ya se, es super lento el hombre. Pero que bueno que te este gustando el fanfic!

**Fallen from the sky** – Yeah, you'll see him react, alright XD I hope you like it!

**Rubbish** – Lol, it would be nice if Syaoran could actually hear you say that XD

Wooooah! That took me some time! Well, now let's go to the story!

**Chapter 11 – It's him over me or me over him?**

Everyone started to get ready to leave for their homes as the last period of the day came to an end. Tomoyo grabbed her stuff and jammed everything inside her backpack rather hastily, still visibly angry at Syaoran's behavior. She couldn't believe the man. Sakura obviously liked him, and he was head over heals for her. What the hell had he been waiting for?! But she warned him…He can't deny THAT! She warned him Sakura would be asked out someday. And hell, he visibly wasn't liking it at all…

"Tomoyo, are you alright? You've been acting weird today. Are you mad at me or something?" Sakura asked her worried. Tomoyo smiled weakly at her and shook her head.

"Of course not, Sakura. You have done nothing wrong"

"Then what is it? Can I help you with something?"

"It's ok. I'm mad at someone else…some coward who won't stand up for what he believes in" she said, quickly glancing at Syaoran, noticing he had been visibly mad at her last words "But I'll be fine, don't worry. I'm not the one who had issues here" again, Syaoran frowned at hearing this.

_**Damn you, Daidouji!**_

"Well, I better go home now, I think I need some rest"

"Want me to walk you home?"

"No, it's fine. I'll see you tomorrow"

"Ok…see you…" Sakura said, as Tomoyo left the classroom. She then turned towards her desk and continued packing her stuff. Syaoran stared intently at her for a few moments before deciding to just act.

_**If I want to stop this, I have to act quick…**_

"Sakura!" he exclaimed, getting up from his seat and slamming his hands against his desk, startling her with the abrupt gesture. She stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, now you're talking to me?"

"Sakura…I….I know it was not nice of me to not talk to you, but…"

"Yes, it wasn't nice"

"Sakura, listen, I just--"

"No, you listen. It hurt me that you were ignoring me, it really did! Syaoran, I thought we were friends! I wasn't even going to cancel our date that day after the event, but you just left without giving me any time to explain myself!" she suddenly started saying, her eyes getting watery. Syaoran noticed this and stepped back.

"Sakura, I just—" he suddenly froze as he finally digested what Sakura had impulsively said just then, his facial expression changing completely "Wait…did you just say…date?" he asked, not really sure of what he should believe. Sakura gasped and clasped a hand over her mouth.

"No…I…I said…"

_**She did say it! She said date! Did she want to go on a date with me? I know I would kill to go out with her! But that's just me…**_

"You did say it….you said date…"

"Well…I don't know why I said that…."

"But if it had been officially a date, would you have agreed?" he asked. Sakura just stared at him, eyes widened.

"Why are you asking me that?" she inquired. Syaoran took a deep breath.

"Sakura, I had been meaning to tell you before…I…actually, I…I lo—"

"Sakura! Hey, want me to walk you home?" came Kotarou's voice, as he approached the pair. Syaoran glared at him, and was about to tell him plainly to just get lost somewhere else, when Sakura smiled at the guy and nodded.

"Sure, thank you very much, Kotarou-kun" she said, grabbing her backpack and then looking back at Syaoran "You can tell me some other day. We actually need to talk some more, because you're confusing me a lot. Anyways, see you tomorrow" she told him, before walking away with Kotarou, leaving a heart-broken Syaoran behind, alone in the classroom.

_**Damn you, Hideki…**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

As Sakura walked by, next to Kotarou, he was talking about random subjects as to not seem dull to her. But he could've been talking about the most interesting discovery of mankind and Sakura would still not be listening to him. Her mind was lost in the thoughts that had been tormenting her for so long… _Gosh, I thought I liked him…but this is too much…_

…_Am I….in love with him?_

"What do you think, Sakura?" Kotarou asked suddenly, startling her.

"Uhmm…well, I think it's ok…" she took a guess. Apparently it had been the right one, because Kotarou smiled radiantly at her.

"Of course! That's what I told him, but he kept insisting it was too much. I knew you would think the same way. Anyways, he kept on saying that--" and Sakura stopped listening again. She felt a little bad for Kotarou. Here he was, a very sweet guy who liked her, trying his best to make her have a good time, and she was completely ignoring him.

_If only Syaoran could be like this…_

"You know, Sakura? I wish I was your secret friend. That way I could get you surprise presents everyday" Kotarou said suddenly, with a bright smile, and this phrase could not be ignored by Sakura, who immediately looked up at him intensely.

"What? You're not my secret friend?" Sakura asked. Kotarou seemed confused by this.

"Uh…no. Did you think I was?" he inquired. Sakura nodded frantically.

"I…well…Naoko said it might be you…"

"Well…I'm not. And it's funny that you say so because I'm Naoko's secret friend, actually. But what made you girls think I was yours?" he asked out of curiosity. Sakura didn't seem to listen to this question, her own thoughts completely occupying her mind.

_If Kotarou isn't my secret friend…then who is?_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

That week seemed to him like a blink of an eye. He had been so lost in thought that he almost failed to notice it was Friday. Yeah…Friday. Sakura was going out with Kotarou…

_**And still… I can't just stop being in love with her…**_

He had left her another present, and they were now just a week away from the day of the gift exchange. He kept on wondering what she would think when she found out it wasn't Kotarou, but him. He had been the one to leave her those presents… the last of them being a heart-shaped hairpin, with a letter that said, again, _From your secret friend_. He had not filled her shoe locker with rose petals this time, though, but decided to just leave a couple of candies next to it. He knew far too well he was going overboard with those 'simple and occasional' presents, but what the hell…

_**I'm in love with her, damnit! I should be the one giving her stuff and taking her out…not that Hideki idiot! At least I get to be her secret friend…but still… how lame is that? Practically seems like I'm being forced to it, out of luck. But the presents…she's gotta know it's not just out of obligation, right?**_

He got up from where he had been sitting at his kitchen table, taking the meal's dirty dishes with him. It was already 5 o'clock, and he couldn't help but wonder the time at which Hideki Kotarou would be dropping by HIS Sakura's house to pick her up.

After washing the dishes, he walked towards the living room and stared outside the window. It was snowing. He remembered what Sakura had said.

_**She loves snow…damnit, it's even gonna be romantic out there. Not even the climate likes me today…**_

He was about to get lost in his thoughts of sadness when he noticed something outside…

_**Wait a minute…this isn't just regular snow…**_

It wasn't at all. It had just started snowing…what…twenty…thirty minutes ago? And yet, there were already cars buried under the snow! What was going on there?

And then, as simple as that, it hit him.

"It's a Clow Card"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Sakura, be careful! Its attacks are intensifying! The Card has noticed your intentions!" Kero warned her as he flew rapidly just besides her.

Sakura was flying with the help of her magic staff, a determined look on her eyes. She was wearing a very fancy mahogany coat on top of her turtle-neck long-sleeved red blouse. She was also wearing a black short skirt and gray long stockings, along with long brown boots that almost reached her knees. Her hair was loose and she was wearing the heart-shaped hairpin that her secret friend (we all know who he is) had given her earlier, matching her attire perfectly. She had been getting ready for her date with Kotarou, but had to call it off at the last minute.

"It's The Snow, right?!" she asked, having to raise the tone of her voice for Kero to be able to listen over the sound of the wind. Kero simply nodded at this.

"We have got to be careful! The Snow is a very powerful card, not to be taking slightly!" he added to that. Sakura got distracted by this for a second, and a huge snowball hit one of the wings of her staff, sending her flying out of control.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

"SAKURAAAAAAAA!!!" yelled Kero, his voice filled with worry, trying to fly as fast as his small wings could take him to reach her. Still, the wind was not helping him and Sakura was so dizzy from the spinning that she momentarily lost consciousness.

She felt herself being carried by the freezing wind, her staff still firmly held by her right hand. Her mind blurry and she could not think clearly of what to do…

…still, soon she realized she had stopped spinning. She wasn't flying around in the wind anymore. She felt herself being held by the waist and suddenly realized it was someone's arm. She opened her eyes and found a pair of amber ones staring back at her, flooded with worry.

"Are you ok?" Syaoran asked. He was hanging from a light post with his left arm and leg and holding her tightly with his right arm. She felt herself blush as she noticed he was holding her whole body against him, unable to avoid it because of the situation.

_**She's so close to me now…and yet I still feel like she's so far away from me…**_

"Syaoran…you came…"

"I'll be there as long as you need me" he said with a slight grin, making Sakura smile back at him. Kero then came flying towards them.

"Oh, it's the brat! Thanks for saving Sakura"

"No problem" Syaoran replied, not caring about the 'brat' issue at the moment, "We have to get rid of all this snow soon or there's going to be trouble"

"But what can we do? It's so much stronger now…" Sakura asked, wondering the possible solution for their current problem. Syaoran frowned.

"There's always a way!" he stated. Sakura felt his grip on her weaken and gasped as she almost fell towards the snow. Syaoran tightened the grip immediately, bringing Sakura closer to him, their faces almost touching, both of them staring into each others eyes intensely.

_**Gah! I'm such an idiot! I almost lost her there! **_

"Sorry…I…I'm a little tired" he said, blushing at the feeling of such closeness to her. Sakura blushed too.

"It's ok…" she said. Syaoran stared at her with a serious expression, suddenly forgetting their present situation. Sakura was there with him…he could feel her warm breath on his face…He had to do it! He had to do it then!

_**Fuck everything else, I'm kissing her now!**_

"I got it!" Sakura said suddenly, completely startling Syaoran, who had almost leaned in too close to her…

"What?"

"FLY!" she yelled, activating The Fly with her staff and flying off away from Syaoran, who could just stare at her.

"Sakura! What are you going to do?!" Kero asked her. Sakura smiled at him.

"Let's warm up this party a little!" she said, throwing another card in front of her "Get rid of all this snow with your powers! FIREY!!!" she yelled, activating the card.

After that, it was over in a very short period of time. The Firey flew all across the city, melting the snow everywhere. At last, The Firey had chased the true form of The Snow back to where Sakura and Syaoran were, now standing on the snow-free ground.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be in!!! CLOW CARD!!!" she yelled, sealing the card's powers. After everything was over, the card flew right into her hands.

"You did it, Sakura!" exclaimed Kero, making her giggle.

"Yeah…I knew you could…" said Syaoran, catching Kero's attention.

"You're getting very behind, kid! Sakura's sooooo gonna kick your ass!!" the guardian said with a grin.

"Go away, you stuffed toy"

"Who are you calling stuffed toy?!"

"Kero! Stop it!" Sakura scolded. Kero shrugged.

"Whatever. He's not even worth my time"

"Kero, could you please go check on Tomoyo? I want to make sure she's ok since we had to leave her at my house"

"Sure! I'll be back in no time!" said Kero enthusiastically, flying away rather quickly at his master's orders. And like that, he left Sakura and Syaoran alone. A very uncomfortable silence reigned between them suddenly, each of them staring at the ground, shyly.

"I...uh...I'm glad you're ok" Syaoran said suddenly. Sakura nodded.

"Thank you for coming after me...you saved me again" she said. Syaoran finally looked up at her.

"Sakura...I..." he started, but then looked away "No...nevermind..."

"What is it?" Sakura asked, suddenly looking up at him too. But Syaoran kept his gaze averted.

"Nothing. It's nothing"

_**After all, I think it's not meant to be. So many times I've tried to tell her and yet it never happens. I guess I'll just leave it at that...and leave her alone...at least, I don't want to lose her friendship.**_

"Come on, Syaoran! This isn't the first time you try to tell me something, I bet it's important!"

"It was important before...but not anymore" he said, looking at her again "You better get going. Hideki must be waiting for you" he added "After all...that's why you're all dressed up, right?"

"Uh...yeah...Tomoyo was helping me out...since it's my first official date and all..." she said, her cheeks turning a bright tone of pink "Do you think it's too much?"

"No, you...you look beautiful" he said, not even a slight hint of hesitance in his voice "I think any guy would be happy to go out with you, even if you were just wearing your school uniform" he added, making her giggle slightly.

"Well...what about you?"

"Me?" Syaoran looked sincerely surprised at this. Sakura simply nodded.

"We once promised to go for hot chocolate..."

"Oh, that. It's ok, I can understand you didn't want to go, it's no big deal"

"But I did want to go!"

"Uh?"

"Syaoran, that day you left so quickly that you didn't give me time to explain! I was going to tell Tomoyo I would join them later because I wanted to go with you!"

"Really?"

"Really! Syaoran, we're good friends after all, aren't we?" she asked. Syaoran just stared at her for a moment, and then smiled, rather sadly.

"Yeah...we are friends"

"So? What about then?"

"Uh?"

"Do you want to go now?"

"For hot chocolate?"

"Well, yeah!"

"But...what about your first official date?" he couldn't help but ask. Sakura giggled.

"I already cancelled it to come take care of the card. And I want to go with you...don't you want to?"

"I...I..." Syaoran stuttered, not really knowing what to say. He would've never expected this.

_**She's giving up Hideki for me? She's choosing me over him? What's up with her?**_

"PLEEEEEEEEASE?!!" Sakura pleaded, joining both of her hands just beneath her chin, with big shinny eyes gazing up at Syaoran. He blushed madly and turned away once again, not being able to stand her face so close without that now-so-familiar urge to kiss her overwhelming him.

"Y-Yeah, sure…" he finally replied.

"Yaaaaay!!" Sakura exclaimed, jumping with happiness "I'm so happy we're friends again, Syaoran! Will we be friends forever?! Do you promise?" she asked raising her pinky at him. Syaoran just stared for a moment, not being able to speak.

_**Friends forever? Just…friends?**_

Sakura was smiling brightly at him and he couldn't help himself. He returned the smile, small and weak by the looks of it. He couldn't stop the sadness that was suddenly taking over him, realization of what she had just said sinking slowly into him.

"Sure…forever" he said, entangling his pinky with hers.

"Well then! A promise never broken, ok?"

"Never"

"Let's go for that hot chocolate then! Come on, Syaoran!" she exclaimed, taking hold of his hand and starting to run in the opposite direction, laughing light-heartedly. To Syaoran, her laughs were the only music he wanted to hear the rest of his life, and as he listened to that harmonious sound, he couldn't stop himself from laughing too. After all, he was happy. He was happy just being with her, being the reason of her happiness at the moment. That's all he wanted.

_**Your happiness will be my happiness, Sakura. And if a friend is what you want, a friend is what you'll get. One that would give his own life to save your own, and that will entirely dedicate it to you…my dear Sakura Kinomoto…**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

And that's it for now!!! Please review!! And of course, suggestions are always welcome. It's gonna be a loooong story, after all!!!


	12. Are you going to kiss me or what?

Hey everyone…so…yeah, I'm supposed to not be able to write…but today me and my lab partner got really stuck with some stuff and could not continue programming the midterm project…and since I had planned to spend the afternoon doing so…I started getting anxious…so I wrote the next chapter as a stress therapy xD

Anyways…enough explanations…I'll answer the reviews…

**Duckygoesroarrr** – Yeah, I know, we all like to make him suffer, we're so mean XD But I'll start messing with Sakura now X3

**Rubbish** – Lol, I'll work hard, don't worry T-T I have no other choice now that I lost so many time…I hope I get to see you on msn anyways, even if it's while I'm at school XD

**Teruna Hime** – Sure! Date details coming up! XD (I love your suggestions, by the way)

**Angelica** – Jajaja, ya se, es una ingenua. Aunque bueno, no la culpo, yo soy igual XD Jajaja bueno pues continuare con esta laaaaaarga historia y que bueno que la estés disfrutando tanto.

**Lhaine07** – You are the second vote to hear about their hot chocolate date XD So definitely! You're gonna know! (And yeah…I would also love to have my own and personal Syaoran…)

**Jennycuenca** – Lol, thanks! I liked how it ended up.

**AkitoxXxSana46 **– Thanks!!! I'm so flattered!!! n///n

**Colorhope-4ever** – Jajajaja, ya se, es fácil olvidarse de las cartas en medio de todo el drama. En fin, gracias por tu review, que bueno que te este gustando!

**Gero** – Mmmm…ya use la ilusión en este capitulo para otra cosa y ya me habían sugerido algo respecto a la carta del sueño, pero si estoy de acuerdo en lo último que dijiste…Syaoran tiene tiempo de no haber capturado una carta…así que lo hará XD Y también en lo otro que dices de hacer sufrir a Sakura XD Aunque creo que por la continuidad de la historia ella ya no sufrirá tanto como él por el momento…aunque aún nos queda mucha trama por delante…quien sabe XD Por cierto, ya te agregué al Messenger! Espero poder conectarme esta semana en algún momento para que hablemos!

And well…I won't be able to even come home the rest of the week because of this delay with my midterm project programming…so…yeah, you won't hear from me in a while…T-T…

Anyways, back to the story…

**Chapter 12 – Are you going to kiss me or what?**

It was very cold outside, and the night was silent and peaceful that time. Kero's snores were the only noise that disturbed the peace inside Sakura's cozy room, where she lay under the covers of her bed, staring at the ceiling absent-mindedly. Sakura felt weird about the end of winter vacations, and not only because she would have to go to school the next day and get up really early for the first time after a long while of recess…but also, and most importantly, because it meant seeing him again.

_**Syaoran…It's been weeks since we see each other and I miss you so much already…**_

She had been constantly reminiscing of the time she had gone out with him for hot chocolate, that day that at the beginning had been meant for her first date with Hideki Kotarou. Still, she didn't regret it in the slightest. She had, after all, told Kotarou afterwards that they would only remain as friends, and Kotarou had been very understanding about that.

But she had told something like that to Syaoran too…and yet, she had gone out with him that night…

---------------------------------**FLASHBACK**--------------------------------------

"Don't you ever miss Hong Kong?" Sakura asked, as she looked up at Syaoran. They were sitting side by side on a park bench, Syaoran normally seated and Sakura seated with her legs crossed on the bench, both of them holding a cup of hot chocolate they had just bought nearby. It was snowing already, but now the snow was normal and not that of the Clow Card Sakura had sealed just an hour before.

"You mean being homesick?" Syaoran asked, somewhat surprised at this question. Sakura nodded.

"Yeah, I mean…not seeing your family" she explained. Syaoran stared at some bushes in front of them, not really looking at them but thinking of what to answer.

"Uh…not really. I have never been too close to my family"

"How come?"

"Well…I'm the only boy, to begin with. I have four older sisters that are nothing like me. They are all squeaky and hyper. And well…you know me. I'm just not that kind of guy, I guess" he commented, shrugging a little before taking a small sip of his chocolate. Sakura continued to stare at him.

"What about your parents?" she asked then. Syaoran seemed saddened by this question.

"I was very close to my father when I was a kid. He and I used to do a lot of stuff together, even though he had a lot of stuff to do with the leadership of the Li Clan"

"The Li Clan?"

"Yeah…it's my family's organization. We're sort of famous there"

"Really? I didn't know that!"

"Well, that's where all the money comes from. I don't care much about it, anyways"

"But what happened to the relationship you had with your dad?" she insisted. Syaoran smiled sadly.

"It abruptly ended ten years ago. He died of a heart-attack. One of many he'd had in the past"

"Oh…I'm sorry…"

"It's ok. Anyways…my mom and I have never been close and that only made things worse. It's not really the fact that she favors my sisters over me but… I think she sees too much of my father in me and that frightens her a little. Or maybe it just makes her so sad that she really doesn't enjoy my company that much" he stated. Sakura felt like she was going to cry. She never thought Syaoran could have such a difficult life. Even though she had lost her mother, she wouldn't be happy to not be close to her dad or brother. It gave her the impression that Syaoran was…much lonelier than he seemed to be.

"That's so sad…you should really try to have a better relationship with your mom"

"Nah, I'm not used to it. I've always thought love comes out of interaction. You can't love someone you don't even know. Even if you're blood related. That's just the biological matter"

"I guess you're right…but…well, my mom died giving birth to me, but I still love her" she said, smiling. Syaoran looked at her with shock.

"Your mother is death?"

"Yeah, but my father says she was a very beautiful person. And since she gave her life for me…and, well, she made my father and brother very happy…I can't so anything but love her, even though I never met her. That's why I think you do love your mom, Syaoran"

"You think?"

"Maybe you just don't realize it. But you're a very sweet person, so I think you do love her" she said, still smiling at him. Syaoran just stared at her.

"I…I don't know what to say…"

"Then don't say anything" she said, leaning in to kiss his left cheek "I know you'll find it in your heart someday"

---------------------------------**END OF FLASHBACK**--------------------------------------

Sakura blushed at the mere memory of this, pulling the covers up to her face.

_**Why did I do that? That's the first time ever I kissed a guy that wasn't my brother or father. But still…it felt so right…like that time…**_

---------------------------------**FLASHBACK**--------------------------------------

"Ok, so now Yamazaki, it's your turn. Who was your secret friend?" professor Terada asked, signaling for Yamazaki to continue. They were all seated in circle on the floor inside the classroom, the desks pushed aside to give them enough space. The gift exchange had started and it went like this: they had chosen a person to start (which had been Tomoyo) and that person had given her gift to her secret friend. Then the person that received a gift was the one to continue and give his or her own gift, and so on.

Tomoyo had given her gift to Chiharu, and then Chiharu had given hers to Yamazaki. So now Yamazaki was the one to continue the gift-giving cycle.

"Yes, professor" he replied, picking up a long but thin box, wrapped in blue and green gift paper "My secret friend was you, Li" he said, pointing at the boy. Syaoran smiled and got up, walking towards him.

"I kinda guessed it was you after the last small gift" he said with a grin. Yamazaki chuckled.

"Yeah, I guessed my letter was going to give me away. Anyways, here, I hope you like it" he said, handing the box to Syaoran. He took it and opened it. With widened eyes, he pulled out a green long-sleeved sweater, with his initials on the front.

"I've notice you're not very good tolerating cold" Yamazaki commented. Syaoran smiled brightly at him.

"Thanks, man"

"You're welcome"

"Men, they're so homophobic, all of them! I bet you anything that they're dying to give each other a hug" Tomoyo whispered to Sakura's ear, making her giggle at the sight of the two guys patting themselves on the back friendly.

"Thank you, Yamazaki. You can take your seat now" professor Terada said as Yamazaki went back to his chair "Ok, now it's your turn, Li. Who was your secret friend?" he asked. Syaoran's face turned completely red at this question, suddenly realizing what he would have to do. He walked back to his chair to pick up a small, thin and large box with a perfect red bow on top. He swallowed hard before speaking up.

"I…uh…my…" he knew he was stuttering, but he couldn't help it "…my secret friend…was…uh…Sakura" he said finally. Sakura turned towards him with widened eyes, her cheeks immediately heating up at the mention of her name. She heard Naoko, Chiharu and Rika cheer at this. Of course, because they remembered the previous gifts she had received.

Sakura slowly got up from her seat and walked to him. Syaoran stared at her firmly, his cheeks visibly pink and his eyes shinning with a feeling Sakura had never seen in them before. Or maybe just never noticed.

"This is…for you" he said, handing her the box, which she took without tearing her eyes away from his. She quickly opened it and gasped. It was a beautiful necklace with a heart-shaped pendant, wings decorating it further.

"Syaoran…thank you…I love it…" she said. Syaoran smiled shyly. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it immediately. Instead, he quickly leaned towards her and kissed her forehead, making her blush even more. Everyone cheered at them.

---------------------------------**END OF FLASHBACK**--------------------------------------

She blushed a deeper tone of red at this memory. It had been too much for her. And besides…the gifts that Syaoran had given her…and the kiss…

_**I guess I can't just figure out what Syaoran feels about me…but…what do I feel? What is Syaoran to me? **__**Am I really in love with him or is he really just a very good friend as I said before? I'm so confused! I hate this! I wish life wasn't this complicated!**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Good morning!" Sakura said as she opened the classroom door. Tomoyo, who had been talking with Naoko and Rika at the moment, turned towards her with a bright smile, raising her right hand to wave at her.

"Good morning, Sakura. How are you today?"

"Fine. I'm glad to be back"

"Yeah, me too, it was getting kind of boring at home" Naoko pointed out. Tomoyo giggled.

"Well, we should all go out today after school" she suggested. Rika nodded.

"I totally agree with it. And Chiharu must come too!" she said.

"Of course" responded Tomoyo. Just then, Sakura noticed someone else had already gotten there, too. It was Syaoran, sitting at his desk, curiously staring back at her. She blushed and waved at him, mouthing a silent 'hello' to him. He blushed too and waved back.

_**Oh my god, I'm sure I'm blushing! How embarrassing!**_

"What do you say, Sakura?" Naoko asked, bringing Sakura's attention back to their little chat.

"Oh! Yeah, of course! I would love too!" she replied.

"It's decided then!" Rika stated. Just at that moment, the classroom door opened and a tall beautiful woman entered. Sakura's senses seemed to notice her before she even glanced at her. She had beautiful eyes, which gave out a peaceful and reassuring stare. Her smile was soft and tender, and her hair was long and delicate, moving behind her as she walked. As soon as she reached the teacher's desk, she turned towards the students and her smiled widened.

"Good morning everyone, please take your seats" she said in a harmonious voice that made Sakura feel suddenly very happy and calm. All the students did what they were told in a moment, and Sakura took her seat in front of Syaoran.

"That woman…" he muttered, catching her attention immediately "…she's not normal. We have to be careful"

"Not normal?" Sakura whispered back.

"Just be careful"

"Alright everyone! First of all, I'll introduce myself. My name is Kahou Mizuki and I'll be your tutor for this semester. I'm looking forward to meeting you all" she said, still with the same pleasant smile on her face. Sakura felt her cheeks warm up at the sight of her and couldn't help but smile back.

_**Who is she? I can't help but notice that in fact, what Syaoran says is true: This woman isn't normal. But I also can't help this feeling inside me! It's like I suddenly feel safe and very, very happy! She seems like a nice person. Besides, being strange doesn't necessarily mean being bad…right?**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"See you tomorrow, Sakura!" Tomoyo said, waving at her. Sakura waved back.

"Yeah, see you!" she replied as her friend walked away. It had been fun to go out with the girls, but she could still not be calmed at all. She couldn't stop thinking about him.

_**God, all I want is to see him.**_

She started walking towards her house, now alone. It was getting dark, so she knew she had to hurry up and get home. She had never liked being outside by herself when it was so dark. She was starting to get a little anxious as she walked through the park, and suddenly stopped walking when she felt someone right behind her. She turned around quickly and gasped.

"Syaoran!" she exclaimed. It was him alright, Syaoran, standing right in front of her now. He stared back at her, a small grin on his face "What are you doing here?" she asked him. Syaoran didn't answer. He just motioned with his hand for her to come with him and then ran off in the opposite direction.

_**What the hell is going on here?!**_

"Hey! Syaoran wait!" Sakura yelled, starting to run after him. She was having a hard time keeping up with him since he was so fast, and was suddenly startled when he stopped dead in his tracks, turning towards her again.

"Syaoran, what is it? Where do you want to take me? It's getting late!" she pointed out in her confusion. Syaoran still didn't answer to this, but just walked towards her. Soon, he was just a few inches away.

"Syaoran?" Sakura asked uneasily, just as he started leaning towards her. She gasped. She could tell what was going on…he was leaning in…to kiss her. She suddenly found herself not knowing what to do, but just closed her eyes. It was then that she knew it.

_**It's what I want after all…I really am in love with him…Syaoran…**_

But the kiss never came. She finally opened her eyes to see that Syaoran was walking away from her.

"Syaoran? Hey, Syaoran, what is it? Please, come back!" she said, starting to run after him. He started to run then too, and started to get more into the park, making it even more difficult for Sakura to follow him. But Sakura wouldn't give up. She needed to talk to him. She really needed to know…

Suddenly, Syaoran was just standing a few feet in front of her. She stopped as she noticed he wasn't running anymore.

"Syaoran, stop this now. I'm tired. Please, just tell me what's wrong" she pleaded. Syaoran smiled at her. She felt warm inside to see him smile like that, and suddenly her feet were moving. She started walking towards him and saw him open her arms, welcoming her to him. She was about to reach him when she felt a pull from the back of her uniform blouse.

"Sakura, stop!" she heard. Turning around, she found that it was no other than…

"SYAORAN?!" she exclaimed "How….how can you be here…?!"

"Look closely. That's not me, it's a Clow Card! It's The Illusion!" he said. Hearing its name being mentioned, the fake Syaoran started to lose its shape.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!" Syaoran yelled, using his sword as a staff to seal it. After taking the shape of a card, it flew right into his hands. He then turned towards Sakura.

"Sakura, are you ok? You almost fell over!" he exclaimed. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Fell…over…" she repeated, looking down. Just as Syaoran had said, the card had stopped at the end of a cliff, and was going to make Sakura fall by making her follow it. She gasped.

"Oh my god…" she muttered. Syaoran sighed.

"Well, at least I came here soon enough to prevent it" he commented. Sakura nodded and then turned around and hugged him tightly, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face in his neck. He was taken aback by this action and turned scarlet.

_**Syaoran…**_

"S-Sakura? Is something wrong?" he asked confused. She shook her head. There was, in fact, nothing wrong. She wasn't even scared. She just wanted to hug him, she had felt like it. And she had done so.

"No…nothing just…hug me…" she requested. Almost mechanically, Syaoran placed his hands on Sakura's waist, as if he was afraid of touching her. After a little while, though, he felt confident enough to slide them to her back and wrap his arms around her, hugging her tightly. After all, he wanted it to. He wanted to feel her close to him.

"Sakura…" the name escaped from his lips before he even realized what he was saying. He couldn't help himself, and he was suddenly sniffing her hair. This didn't go unnoticed by Sakura, and she immediately went stiff.

_**He's….he's smelling my hair! Oh my god…**_

She pulled away slowly, just enough to look into his eyes, her arms staying where they were. Syaoran didn't break the hug either. Their faces were so close that they could feel each other's breath on them. Sakura stared intensely at Syaoran's eyes, which shone with a feeling she still didn't recognize in him.

Without another word, Syaoran started leaning in towards her, tilting his head to the side a little. Sakura blushed as she saw him close his eyes and she did so too, knowing perfectly well what was about to happen, but wanting it as much as him. She felt his nose brush hers and she knew their lips were about to touch…

"SAKURAAAA!!!" both teenagers jumped away from each other at the sound of that yell. They knew who it was.

"Kero!" Sakura exclaimed nervously. The small guardian flew immediately towards her.

"Are you ok? Are you hurt? What happened?"

"No, I'm ok, really! Syaoran got here in time and sealed the card" she blurted out without thinking. Kero turned to look at Syaoran then, his gaze filled with anger and resentment.

"YOU sealed the card?! You Chinese thief!" 

"Hey, I'm no thief!" Syaoran complained. Kero growled and was about to respond to that, when Sakura slightly pulled at his tail.

"Kero, stop it, it's no big deal" she said. Syaoran, at the sound of her voice, turned scarlet once again, and averted his gaze somewhere else.

"Well, anyways, I think I have to go now. See you" he said quickly, starting to run away from them. Sakura gasped.

"Syaoran, wait!" she called. But he was already out of sight. Sakura stared in the direction he had gone and sighed.

_**What happened just now? Was he really going to kiss me?**_

As lost as she was in her thoughts and Kero in his anger, none of them noticed the person watching them behind the trees, with familiar long hair…

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Please review!!! I really want to know what you think up to now.


	13. I saw you in a dream

Hi everyone! I'm back with more of this story xD I'll get to answering the reviews right away since there were so many of them!

**Teruna Hime** – Lol, yeah you said 'hm' a lot XD but it sounds funny. Yeah, there's all that stuff coming up, and don't worry about the kiss…it'll come. In time XD

**Destiny-hope-4ever** – Ah, gracias por aclarármelo. Nunca he estado segura de si lleva u al final o no. Y si, Eriol va a salir, pero pues hasta después del juicio y todo eso XD aun falta un gran tramo de historia, después de todo.

**Jennycuenca** – Yeah, I wonder too xD Thanks for your review!

**Lhaine07** – I'm so flattered, thank you! n///n I'm glad you liked the chapter that much.

**Rubbish** – Lol, don't hate me for being so pretty XD

**Angelica **– Si, todo a su tiempo XD jajajaja espero que te siga gustando.

**AkitoxXxSana46 **– Thanks! Yeah…you're not the first Kero complaint I've had for that chapter XD

**AngelEmCuti **– Thank you! I did my best to update :D

**Marcusreines** – Thanks a lot for your comment. I hope the story keeps meeting up to your expectations.

**Gero** – Descuida, aun queda mucha historia por delante. Eso de la llegada de un tercero a molestar lo estoy guardando para la segunda fase XD No creas q no lo había pensado. En cuanto al fanfic de Sin el Jugo de Uva…ahí va XD lo actualizare pronto, no te preocupes.

**Thorns of a rose** – Thanks. And don't worry, I WILL certainly finish this story.

**Fallen from the sky** – Yeah, every time getting closer…I hope the update came soon enough x3

**Furubarulz1996-darkangelz** – I'm not really sure of how long it will be, but I can assure you it will last another 20 chapters or more XD I'm glad you're liking it!

And now to the story already!

**Chapter 13 – I saw you in a dream**

Like any other morning, Sakura had just gotten to school and proceeded to her shoe locker. She was hardly paying any attention to anything happening around her as she had been lost in thought since the day before, when Syaoran had captured The Illusion. Kero had explained to her, later on, that The Illusion usually reflected a person's most passionate desires. Sakura had asked him why she hadn't seen her mom, if that was the case. He had told her that it probably was because Sakura had grown up to make her peace with knowing that her mother was death, and that she never really knew her for instance. That had left Sakura's only passionate current desire…

_**That's it, I guess…even though I figured it out since yesterday, with this it makes more sense. It explains everything that has been happening to me lately, there's no other way to put it. I can't run away from the truth anymore…I'm in love with Syaoran…**_

She absent-mindedly opened her locker just when she heard a very familiar voice behind her.

"Good morning, Kinomoto" gasping, she turned around immediately and found herself face to face with Kaho Mizuki, their new class tutor. She had a wide and welcoming smile on her face, her thin features giving out a very peaceful expression. Sakura couldn't help but smile back.

"Good morning, professor Mizuki!" she answered.

"How are you doing today? I could see you seem a little distracted…" the professor pointed out, a hint of worry in her voice. Sakura blushed.

"I'm fine…I just needed a little more sleep today, I guess" she replied, giggling nervously.

_**It's not like I'm going to tell her about me and Syaoran…**_

"Oh…it's ok, I guess. Try to rest more tonight"

"Sure thing!"

"Well, it's almost time for class, don't be late" Mizuki added with the same soft tone, just before she started to walk away from Sakura and towards the classroom. Sakura blushed and smiled dreamily as she watched her walk away, he eyes shinning with sentiment.

_**I don't know what it is about her that makes me so happy when I'm with her!**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Good morning, everyone!" professor Mizuki said as everyone took their seats. Tomoyo glanced behind Sakura and then looked at her.

"I wonder what happened to Li…" she whispered, making Sakura blush.

"Y-Yeah…I wonder…" she replied. It was, indeed, very rare to not see Syaoran there, since the class had already started. And Syaoran was always punctual.

_**I wonder if he's sick or something…or maybe he doesn't want to see me…he must feel awkward because of what happen yesterday. I know I do…**_

"I'm happy to announce that our class will be making a musical for the spring festival and I want everyone to participate. I'm sure you will all find it to be very fun!" professor Mizuki said, making everyone cheer with enthusiasm. Tomoyo turned to look at Sakura.

"Oh my god, Sakura! You have to be one of the actors!!! I would so love to make your costume!!!" Tomoyo exclaimed with starry eyes. Sakura sweatdropped.

"But, Tomoyo…I have never acted in a play…"

"There's always a first time for everything! I'm sure you will be marvelous!"

"Professor Mizuki, what musical are we going to do?" Naoko asked after raising her hand to call the teacher's attention. Kaho Mizuki smiled sweetly at her.

"Well, yesterday afternoon I was talking with professor Terada, the class tutor of the group next door, and he told me he wanted to do High School Musical. Since he took that one, I was thinking we could do the second part. It would be interesting to have both musicals in the festival" the professor explained. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"High School Musical? There's a second part?" she asked. Rika immediately turned towards her.

"Yes! It just came out!" she exclaimed.

"I already watched it, it's very good!" Chiharu added. Yamazaki then appeared next to her as he usually did.

"You know? Before the year 1930, musicals were rather different than--"

"Oh, shut up" Chiharu said, pulling Yamazaki's ear and interrupting his trail of lies.

"I'm glad everyone likes the idea. We should get started with the preparations, but before that, we need to assign roles to everyone" professor Mizuki started explaining, after which she took a piece of chalk and started writing the staff roles on the blackboard "We need a director…someone in charge of costumes…"

"I call that one!" Tomoyo exclaimed, raising her hand immediately. Sakura giggled, and so did professor Mizuki.

_**Tomoyo just can't help herself sometimes…**_

"That's fine then, Miss Daidouji will be the person in charge of the costumes" she said, writing Tomoyo's name next to the role she had chosen "Mmm…we also need someone in charge of the lights and someone in charge of sound and music. I also need two persons in charge of props, a person in charge of choreography. Everyone besides those roles will be actors, singers and dancers"

"I want to be the director!" Naoko said enthusiastically. Professor Mizuki smiled and nodded, putting her name down besides the role, just as she had done with Tomoyo.

"Can I be in charge sound?" Rika asked.

"Of course, Miss Sazaki" replied professor Mizuki, writing her name down too. Soon, everyone had called all the staff positions, and only the actors were left to be decided.

"Oh, how exciting!" exclaimed Tomoyo, staring at Sakura with dreamy eyes and making her rather uncomfortable. Just then, and before professor Mizuki could say anything else, the class was interrupted by someone bursting abruptly into the room. It was none other than Li Syaoran, looking rather hasty and tired.

"Professor! I'm sorry, I overslept!" he confessed. Professor Mizuki just smiled at him.

"It's ok, Mr. Li, you can come in and take your seat" she replied sweetly, motioning for him to come inside. Syaoran, who had been half-expecting for her to send him outside with two buckets of water, eyed her suspiciously and then proceeded to do as he was told. He slowly sat down behind Sakura, his eyes not leaving those of professor Mizuki. Although he looked defying and angry, professor Mizuki was still looking at him with a peaceful smile.

"Good morning, Syaoran" he was taken aback at the sound of Sakura's voice, blushing madly. She had been, of course, the reason why he had stayed awake until very late the night before and why he could not wake up in time for classes that day. Sakura wasn't looking at him, though. She was trying to hide her own blush.

"Uh…g-good morning…" he replied nervously. Tomoyo eyed them both suspiciously and mouthed a 'What's up' to Sakura, who simply responded with a 'Later'.

"Very well. Since Mr. Li arrived late today, he couldn't pick between staff member and actor, I'm sorry" professor Mizuki informed. Syaoran stared at her again, now with confusion in his eyes, tilting his head slightly to the side as he did.

"Actor? Staff member?" he voiced his thoughts of confusion suddenly.

"Our class is going to participate in the spring festival with a play" Tomoyo told him "And since you couldn't pick a staff member role, you'll be one of the actors"

"Actor?! Me?!" Syaoran exclaimed in shock. Professor Mizuki giggled.

"The roles in the play will be decided at random, I'll walk to each of your seats and let you pick a folded piece of paper from this bag" she started explaining with the same cheerful disposition "The name of a character is written on each piece of paper. If you get one with the word 'dancer' you will not have lines in the play, but you will participate in the choreographies"

"How exciting!" Tomoyo exclaimed. As professor Mizuki started going to each student to let them randomly pick their role, everyone started to get even more anxious. It was finally Sakura's turn to pick a role, then. The girl reached into the bag of papers slowly.

_**Please, let it be a just-dancing role…**_

Sakura unfolded the piece of paper slowly and gasped as she read the name on it. Tomoyo was about to ask her which role she had gotten out, when professor Mizuki walked between them in order to let Syaoran reach the bag. The boy took his own paper and unfolded it, raising an eyebrow as he did. He, however, did not keep his thoughts to himself.

"Who the hell is Troy Bolton?"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Oh Sakura! This is even more than what I had been expecting! You actually got the lead!" Tomoyo exclaimed happily as they both sat at a small table in a nearby café, drinking some white chocolate frappe. Sakura sighed, mixing the contents of her frappe with some cream and sugar.

"This is too much for me, Tomoyo"

"Oh, none-sense! You're going to make a great Gabriella Montez!!"

"It's not just that, Tomoyo!" Sakura exclaimed, suddenly losing her temper. Tomoyo, however, remained as calm as always, and took a small sip from her frappe before staring back at her intensely, a knowing smile forming on her lips.

"Then what is it?" she asked. Sakura blushed and diverted her gaze towards the table, suddenly aware of what she was going to say.

_**Why do I have this feeling that Tomoyo already knows? She's so observant! No wonder she always knows this kind of stuff in advance. **_

"Well…it's about the male leading role…"

"Troy Bolton?"

"Li Syaoran"

"What about him? Don't you think he'll do a good job? I think you guys will make a good on-stage couple!"

"That's still not what I'm referring to, Tomoyo…" Sakura muttered, blushing even more. Tomoyo giggled.

"I know, Sakura. It's because you are in love with Li Syaoran, right?" she replied, making Sakura gasp.

"What?! How did you--?! When did it--?! Why?!"

_**Dear God! That was way more than what I was expecting her to know! What is she, a psychic?!**_

"Dear Sakura, you're stuttering"

"And can you blame me?!"

"Just take it easy, it's not a bad thing to love someone. Anyone would be happy to know that someone loves him or her, don't you think?" Tomoyo replied, still calmed, and taking another sip of her frappe. Sakura felt almost hysterical.

"But why didn't you tell me you knew?!"

"Because I didn't know if you knew about it yourself. It's not nice to mingle in someone's understanding of their own feelings, I could even had made you deny them if I did. You just had to figure it out by yourself and I'm glad to know you finally did"

"Finally?!"

"Oh yeah, it's been ages"

"Oh my god, Tomoyo!"

"I keep telling you, Sakura, it's no big deal"

"It is to me! I keep having these weird fears about it…about Syaoran not feeling the same way about me…"

"Then why don't you tell him?"

"Tell him what? That I'm in love with him? He'll freak!"

"Why are you so sure he will?"

"Why are YOU so sure he won't?!"

"I never said that"

"Tomoyo, you're confusing me…"

"But you told me yourself earlier that yesterday you almost kissed…that must mean something, right?" Tomoyo asked. She, of course, knew what Syaoran really felt, but she wasn't the right person to tell Sakura something like that. It had to be Syaoran himself.

"I don't know, it could've been a misunderstanding!"

"Oh well, it's not really a matter of not being able to achieve anything, after all" Tomoyo commented with a slight grin, sipping again from her frappe. That grin made Sakura feel goosebumps all over her back, the small hairs on the back of her neck standing firmly with the chill.

"What do you mean?" she asked, almost fearfully. Tomoyo giggled.

"Didn't you watch High School Musical 2? Troy and Gabriella kiss at the end"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Hey, Sakura! I'm almost done with my game, you have GOT to check out my top scores!" Kero said enthusiastically as Sakura walked into her room, closing the door behind her. She let out sigh that sounded like she was really tired.

"Maybe some other time, Kero. I need some sleep now…" she said. It was, after all, already late. She had been out with Tomoyo until eight o'clock and she had already had dinner with her father and brother. Added to that, because of all of her doubts and thoughts, she felt exhausted.

"Yeah, probably, you could use some sleep. I'll just save my game and turn this off then" the guardian informed, doing as he had said he would. Sakura slowly changed into her pajamas while he did, and soon both of them were ready to go to bed. Kero flew into the small drawer that was conditioned to be his own bedroom and cuddled into his small bed.

"Sweet dreams, Kero" Sakura said, kneeling beside the drawer. Kero yawned.

"I guess I'm tired from all the playing. Good night, Sakura" he said, closing his small eyes. Sakura smiled and got up. She walked towards her bed and got into the covers, feeling suddenly very tired. She was tired before, but as her back touched the bed, she suddenly felt so sleepy she couldn't keep her eyes open…

_**Uh? What's wrong with me? Was I really this tired before?**_

She couldn't even find the answer to her question before she had fallen deeply asleep.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Who are you?" Sakura heard herself ask. She was dressed with a strange outfit, a pink cloak floating behind her with the wind. There was someone standing in front of her, on Tokyo Tower. She was standing on the roof of some random building, staring intently at that person.

The person had long hair swaying in the wind, and that person's gaze was piercing fiercely into hers, no sign of mercy in those cold and angry eyes.

_**What kind of grudge does this person hold against me?**_

"Sakura, this will not be easy, but I know you can make it" she heard Kero speak next to her. The small guardian looked serious and determined, floating serenely next to her head and staring in the direction of Tokyo Tower and that strange person standing in front of them.

"What will not be easy?! Kero, how can you be so sure I will be able to make it?!" she asked desperately. Kero turned towards her.

"You'll definitely become the Clow Mistress, Sakura, I have no doubt that you will"

"What if I'm not capable of doing so, Kero?! I feel so much pressure on me! I don't want to let you or the cards down!"

"I knew, sooner or later, you would have to face that person…" Kero seemed not to be listening to what she was saying, but just talking out of obligation. Sakura felt hot tears start to fall from her eyes, her fear becoming visible at the moment.

"Who is that person?! Kero, please tell me!"

"You have to stop that from happening…" 

"What?! What will happen?! Kero!!!" the small guardian suddenly vanished, along with the whole scenery she had been in, leaving her all alone in a vast space filled with darkness, fear getting the best of her as she started to run around, not really knowing where to go.

"Kero! Please don't leave me! Where did you go, Kero?!" she kept screaming as she ran.

"Sakura!" she heard behind her suddenly, that voice making her stop dead in her tracks. Slowly turning around, she found herself face to face with none other than Li Syaoran, dressed in his green fighting robes, staring at her with a small grin.

"Syaoran…"

"Sakura, don't cry…everything will be alright…you yourself always say it" he told her, reassuringly. Sakura started to cry loudly now.

"But how can I be so sure of that?! Everyone left! They left me alone!"

"No, you're not alone. You will never be alone. Even if we're not there physically, we're always supporting you….Daidouji, Kero….and, of course, me" he replied. Sakura couldn't help herself any longer and ran towards him, throwing herself in his strong arms, crying freely into his shirt. Syaoran hugged her and caressed her hair as she did.

When she had calmed down, she lifted her face to look into his eyes, which had in them that same feeling she had been wondering about since before. She suddenly realized he was leaning in towards her, just as that afternoon after catching The Illusion at the park. She closed her eyes, again expecting a caress that never came. When she once again opened them, he was smiling at her.

"Why don't you kiss me?" she heard herself suddenly asking. He chuckled.

"My dear Sakura…I'm sorry, but I don't want our first kiss to be in the middle of a dream"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"SAKURA, WAKE UP!!!" Kero yelled, finally managing to wake Sakura, who opened her eyes widely.

"KERO?!"

"DON'T GET UP!" the guardian ordered before she sat on the bed "LOOK UNDER YOU!"

Sakura turned around and saw that she was squishing the left wing of a very beautiful and bright-colored blue butterfly under her back. The poor creature looked desperate to fly away.

"It's a Clow Card! You must seal it before it flies away again!"

"Right!" Sakura said, talking out her magic key "Key of Clow! Power of Magic! Power of Light! Surrender the one, the force ignite! Release!!!" she said almost in a whisper, as to not wake anyone in her house, making the key turn into staff. Quickly after that, she carefully turned around to see the butterfly clearly "Return to the guise you were meant to be in! CLOW CARD!!" she said, sealing the small butterfly into a Clow Card. After it was done, the card flew right into her hands: it was The Dream.

"The Dream…" she said in realization.

"Sakura, did you have any weird dreams while you were asleep?" Kero asked with concern. Sakura nodded.

"I saw…a person on Tokyo Tower…"

"The Dream usually shows premonitions. It was probably showing you something that will happen in a near future"

"Oh Kero, I'm scared!"

"You don't have to be, Sakura. Everything will be fine now. I have complete trust in your abilities and I'm sure you will have no problem in facing whatever comes against you" the guardian assured with a confident smile. Sakura smiled back.

"Thanks Kero…"

"Now go back to sleep. You need to rest if you want to get up for school tomorrow"

"You're right. Good night, Kero"

"Good night, Sakura" Kero replied, as she cuddled back into the covers and closed her eyes. Once he was sure Sakura was sound asleep, Kero went flying back to his drawer, not without a last glance towards the sleeping form of the teenage girl.

"I'm sure you'll be able to make it, Sakura. Even against…that person…"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Phew! Chapter 13 finally done! Things are getting interesting, people! Please tell me what you think. I wasn't so sure about the play thingy but I just saw High School Musical so I had that idea XD Plus I haven't really involved music in this fanfic. And we are now down to just four more cards!!! The final judgment is coming up!


	14. On a glowing night

Greetings everyone! I'm proud to present this new chapter! It took me some time to get it done but yesterday I was just too inspired xD Oh well, I wanted to clarify something before answering the reviews.

**Syaoran wasn't dreaming the same thing as Sakura and wasn't in really her dream either. It was The Dream showing Sakura things that will happen in the future.**

I had to say that because so many of you asked xD Oh well, now to the reviews.

**Rubbish** – Lol, ok, if I'm pretty everything's fine XD You must read your books anyways! Don't be lazy! XD

**Pipi-chan** – Jejejeje, tu duda ya la aclare acá arriba, no fuiste la única que pregunto. En fin, que bueno que te haya hecho reír esa parte, ese era el objetivo XD

**Saphirablossom** – Mmm…ok, I'll answer both of your questions. First question: yes they will, I have made you people wait enough XD and second question: I wish! XD Actually I do speak some French but very little and I'm really bad with grammar, so I can't tell you that you can speak French to me and I'll understand because I probably won't :(

**AngelEmCuti** – Yeah, a lot of people have asked about Meilin, and I really don't know what to do yet, but maybe I will introduce her later, after the final judgment.

**Teruna Hime** – Thanks! I feel so flattered X3 And about the real kiss…well…yeah, maybe XD

**Gero** – Jajajaja, no te me alteres, en realidad no vas a necesitar saber de HSM2, lo que necesites saber lo dirán en el capitulo correspondiente. Aunque bueno, dices que ya las vas a ver XD Entonces mejor. Y si oyes la música, con eso es más que suficiente.

**Star02** – Thanks, I will!

**Lhaine07** – Don't worry, you don't need to watch the movie, I will explain most of what's happening anyways. And about the dream, I already explained in the note before XD

**AkitoxXxSana46 **– OMG Thanks! O///o

**Furubarulz1996-darkangelz** – XD Thanks for the cheerleaders!

**Destino-hope-4ever** – Que bueno que te haya agradado la idea. Y sobre tus historias, claro, las leeré :) Espero tener tiempo en la semana para hacerlo. Te dejare reviews cuando lo haga.

**KuzoNh** – Thank you for your review! It made me happy!

**Thorns of a rose** – Lol, I was just trying to build up some tension. It will happen, don't worry. Besides, the story still will be long.

Well, that's it for today! I hope you enjoy this really long chapter!!!

**Chapter 14 – On a glowing night**

"What a weird dream…" commented Tomoyo, as she and Sakura sat together at lunchtime that day, on a bench that was conveniently under the shadow of a tree. Sakura was eating from her lunchbox, which had some white rice and vegetables. Tomoyo took a small sip from her green tea.

"Yeah…I wonder if I'm really going to meet that person soon…" she said in a longing tone of voice. Tomoyo raised an eyebrow.

"That's what you wonder?! Sakura, I can't believe you!"

"What do you mean?"

"I wonder if Li will really kiss you soon! And of course, I don't mean the on-stage kiss! But a real kiss!" she exclaimed hopefully, taking her camera apparently out of nowhere "And if that happens, I hope I can be there to tape every second of dear Sakura's first enchanting kiss with the person she loves most!" she added with a weird (and rather creepy) glow in his eyes. Sakura blushed madly.

"Oh my god, Tomoyo!"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"I DON'T DANCE!"

"Hey, that's the name of one of the songs!"

"I'M SERIOUS, DAMNIT!!!" Syaoran stated angrily, clutching the script in his hands. Naoko placed her hands on her hips and stared at him defiantly. They were both standing face to face on stage. It was a Monday afternoon and the rehearsals were about to officially begin. That was, of course, if Syaoran and Naoko could stop arguing someday…

_**ME?! LI SYAORAN, HEIR TO THE LI CLAN!! DANCING?! HELL FUCKING NO!!**_

"Well, I don't care if you don't like it! You have to do it! You have the lead role, you must sing and dance!"

"But--!"

"NO BUTS!"

_**I HATE THIS WOMAN!**_

"What's going on?" Yamazaki, who had just arrived, asked just as he closed the door of the auditorium behind him. The place was still rather empty, just Syaoran, Naoko, Rika and Tomoyo were there, along with Touji and Kei, the tow boys that were in charge of making the props.

"Syaoran doesn't seem to like his part" Tomoyo said, sounding amused.

"I HATE IT!" Syaoran corrected. Naoko stomped on the stage floor loudly with her right foot.

"I don't care!"

"I don't care if you don't care!"

"Oh really? Well I don't care if you don't care I don't care!"

"And I don't care if you don't care that I don't care you don't care!"

_**HELL, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THIS STUPID PLAY IS ABOUT, ANYWAYS!**_

"This is getting ridiculous…" Rika muttered.

"Hey, Li-kun! Did you know Troy and Gabriella have to kiss at the end of the play?" Tomoyo interrupted the argument suddenly. There was silence for a moment. Everyone knew Syaoran liked Sakura, it was so obvious by now. Both of the angry debaters stared at Tomoyo, dumbfounded. Syaoran was surprised since he hadn't read the script to the last page and had not known about the kiss, and Naoko was surprised that she hadn't thought of such a good retort herself.

_**Did…did she just say…?**_

"Kiss?" he asked, in a barely audible tone of voice. Naoko grinned and turned back at him.

"Convinced, aren't we?"

"Shut up" responded Syaoran, annoyed but less angry than before. This didn't go unnoticed by Naoko.

"So, will you do it?" she asked "Because you can always trade roles with Kotarou-kun…I'm sure he would absolutely looooove to" she added with an evil smile. Syaoran could feel himself getting sick just by the thought of Kotarou trying to kiss HIS Sakura.

_**I'm sure that jackass would not hesitate to do so…**_

"NOT IN YOUR LIFE TIME!"

"I'll take that as a yes" Naoko said with a small wink, hoping off stage. Syaoran let out a loud sigh after that. He knew they suspected about his feelings towards Sakura…and he felt really stupid at the moment.

_**Sakura…if you only knew what I go through because of you…because of what I feel about you…I wish this stupid play wasn't the only way to get that close to you. I feel so pathetic…and yet, I can't let anyone else have my role because it would mean…gah! I don't even want to think about it! **_

"Good afternoon, everyone" professor Mizuki said as she entered the auditorium "It's good to see some of you arrived early. Have you examined the script, Miss Director?"

"Yeah! I know exactly what to do!" Naoko replied excitedly.

"And who was in charge of the choreography? The beginning scene is a dance, I believe"

"Me! I have the first dance prepared already!" came the voice of a tall girl with long black hair and blue shiny eyes, whose name was Maki Itsuno. Suddenly after that, the door to the auditorium was opened by another girl, who had short dark green hair that barely reached her shoulders, and gray-colored eyes.

"Good afternoon, professor" she greeted, coming inside and followed by other students of the same class. Professor Mizuki smiled at her.

"Good afternoon, Miss Ichitaka. You will be Sharpay Evans, right?"

"Yeah…but I don't know if I'm going to do a good job…" she said, blushing a little. Kaede Ichitaka was a very shy girl, so that particular character wasn't very compatible with her personality. Kotarou, on the other hand (who had also arrived to the auditorium) was rather anxious to perform, because he had watched the movie the night before and knew by now that he had scenes along with Sakura and he still really liked her. He would be acting as Ryan Evans, Sharpay's brother.

"Sorry for being late!" Sakura exclaimed as she burst into the auditorium. Syaoran immediately blushed at the sight of her.

_**Sakura…**__**How I wish I could just grab you and kiss you…**_

"It's ok, Sakura, we were just about to begin" Naoko explained. Tomoyo rushed towards her.

"Oh, Sakura! I have been making really cute outfits for you to wear on the play! You have to try them on!"

"Sure thing, Tomoyo" she replied with a smile. It was then Kotarou who approached her.

"Hey, Sakura! I was reading through the script and we have some scenes together! Want to practice?" he asked. Before she could reply, Syaoran appeared almost out of nowhere and stood between them, glaring at Kotarou.

"I was just about to ask her myself, so GET LOST!" he yelled, and then immediately turned red. He had just acted out of impulse and now felt very ashamed of it.

_**Oh no! What the hell did I get myself into?! Sakura is going to think I'm the worst, bursting out at him like that!**_

"Well…if it's ok with Kotarou-kun, I really think it would be wiser to practice with Syaoran-kun…since we have lots of scenes and even songs together…" Sakura said suddenly. Syaoran turned immediately to look at her, his facial expression showing honest surprise. He hadn't really been expecting to hear something like that…

_**What?!**_

"Ok, Sakura, we'll practice later. Right now I think Itsuno wants us to learn the first dance anyway" Kotarou said, trying to cover up for his disappointment. Sakura then turned towards Syaoran.

"Is it ok if we meet in the music classroom tomorrow after classes?" she asked with a smile and a faint blush on her cheeks. Syaoran nodded almost robotically.

"Yeah, that's fine!"

_**Whenever you want, beautiful…**__**jeez, where did THAT come from?! So corny!**_

"Ok then, I'll be there" she said cheerfully.

"Hey, Sakura! Come here, please!" Naoko called suddenly.

"Coming!" Sakura replied, running towards the stage, leaving Syaoran alone with Kotarou. This boy was taller than Syaoran, but that didn't matter to him. He had never been afraid of anyone in his life, and he was not about to start now, being intimidated with height. He was still sure he was stronger than him.

"You're Li Syaoran, right?" Kotarou asked suddenly. Syaoran looked up at him with a questioning look.

"Yeah…so what?"

"You like her too, don't you?" he asked, looking at Sakura, who was smiling and chatting with Naoko. Syaoran frowned.

"Why? What are you going to do about it?" he challenged, clenching is fists angrily. Kotarou smirked.

"Nothing. You are obviously closer to Sakura than I am, so I guess you have a bigger chance with her" he replied "You should tell her how you feel right away" he added. Syaoran stared at him, his eyes widened at this last statement.

"Wait…I thought you liked Sakura. Why are you telling me this?" he asked, not really understanding Kotarou's intention. By hearing this, Kotarou looked down at him, with a confident gaze that almost made Syaoran feel sick.

"It's just an advice. Actually, I wanted to warn you. If you don't tell her by the end of the week, I'll ask her out again" he said, his voice sounding menacingly serious. Syaoran frowned even more.

"You do that and I'll KILL you!"

"You try that and I'll get you expelled" Kotarou replied calmly, a slight grin forming on his lips. Syaoran growled.

_**Damn this **__**Hideki guy! He's going to be more trouble than I expected! I guess I have no choice but to confess to Sakura…what else can I do? But if I confess…she did say she just liked me as a friend before…Well…no, now that I think about it…she didn't actually say that! Can it be I still have a chance…?**_

…_**but wait! The end of the week?! Today's Wednesday! I only have four days!**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"I can't walk home with you today, Tomoyo, I promised Syaoran we would meet at the music classroom to practice" Sakura said apologetically. Tomoyo smiled.

"Oh, don't worry, Sakura! I know you have to give it your best! Besides, I still have a lot of work to do with the costumes!"

"Oh, then good luck with that!"

"Same to you, Sakura! See you tomorrow!" Tomoyo said, waving at her before taking off. Sakura waved back.

"Yeah, see you!"

She had walked Tomoyo to the school entrance, but now it was time to go back and meet Syaoran at the music classroom. Aiko, the girl that was going to be Chelsea in the play, had agreed to meet them later to practice too, since she was going to play the piano for the song they sang together in the first part of the play.

Once she was walking towards the music classroom, crossing the school gardens, she started hearing something though…

**I'm not gonna stop, that's who I am  
I'll give it all I got, that is my plan  
Will I find what I lost?  
You know you can  
Bet on it, bet on it  
Bet on it, bet on it**

"Uh? That's Syaoran's voice…" she muttered. As she got closer to the music room, she was finally sure about that.

**I wanna make it right, that is the way  
To turn my life around, today is the day  
Am I the type of guy who means what I say?  
Bet on it, bet on it  
Bet on it, bet on it**

Standing outside, right by the opened door of the classroom, she saw him. He had his back turned to where she was and was singing his heart out while staring intensely at the song lyrics on some sheets of paper he was holding in front of him.

**How will I know if there's a path worth taking?  
Should I question every move I make?  
With all I've lost my heart is breaking  
I don't wanna make the same mistake**

Sakura suddenly felt it was wrong to just be watching him without letting him know, so she cleared her throat a little loudly to catch his attention. Startled, he immediately stopped singing and turned around to look at her, blushing and very embarrassed.

"S-Sakura! I didn't hear you coming!" he apologized nervously. Sakura giggled.

"I can see that! You were so concentrated! Don't worry about it, I'm sorry for startling you…"

"Uh…it's ok, I was just…practicing. They told me I have to do a solo…I don't really know if I can sing that well…" he commented, scratching the back of his head shyly and looking away.

"But what I heard was really good!" Sakura exclaimed. Syaoran looked surprised by this comment.

"You think so?"

"Yeah! I just hope I can sing as good as you!"

"What? Don't say that! I'm sure you have a beautiful voice!" he replied, and immediately after that slapped his hand over his mouth. Sakura was blushing now.

"W-Why do you say that?" she asked. Syaoran stared back at her, blushing too.

"I…I don't know…I just…always like to hear your voice…" he managed to say. There was a really uncomfortable silence after that. Syaoran fidgeted with the ends of his uniform shirt uncomfortably, glancing at her now and then, always diverting his gaze down to his hands afterwards.

_**Stupid Li Syaoran! Why the hell did I say that?! Now I've made her uncomfortable…damnit!**_

"Uh…is it ok if we start practicing now?" she asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Syaoran nodded.

_**Saved by the bell…or rather Sakura's eagerness to practice.**_

"Sure…where do we start?" he asked. Sakura placed her backpack on a nearby desk and took her script out of it.

"I guess we could start from the beginning, the first scene we have together" she suggested. Syaoran grabbed his own script.

"Ok…fine with me" he said, and then took a deep breath, knowing that he had the first line. Sakura stared at him expectantly.

"Anytime you like" she added. Syaoran nodded, glanced down at the script, and then leaned against the desk, next to her.

"_Your summer activities consultant has arrived_!" he said, rather awkwardly. Sakura giggled at his attempt of a decent acting.

"_Hopefully those activities include a job_" she answered.

"_Hey, as long as we're together it's cool, right_?" he asked, looking a little bit more comfortable with it than the first time. This surprised Sakura, as she didn't expect him to get better by the second line of the script.

"_You promise_?" she asked, not wanting to interrupt the scene. Syaoran stared at her intensely then. Sakura blushed. Somehow it didn't feel like acting.

"_Here's my promise_" he replied after glancing at the script, and then walked around her to stand behind "Uh…I'm supposed to put a necklace on you, right?" he asked shyly, out of the scene. Sakura jumped, somewhat startled by the interrupting question.

"Oh right! Here, we can use this, my father gave it to me when I was a kid" she said, taking off a necklace that Syaoran had never noticed she wore, since it was always under her clothes. She handed it to Syaoran after she was done "Ok, you can continue" she said, turning her back on him to proceed. Syaoran nodded.

"_Here's my promise_" he repeated to give continuity to the scene, carefully putting the necklace around her neck, touching her hair slightly. That action sent shivers down Sakura's spine, but she made her best effort to hide it. She then stared down at the necklace and smiled, turning to face Syaoran.

"_T as in Troy_?" she asked, since it was supposed to be a necklace with a T shaped pendant. Syaoran nodded.

"_Well…yeah_…" he said. Sakura then stared at him intensely, and Syaoran stared back. Somehow, for a moment, they both forgot they were rehearsing some play, and started to lean towards each other, tilting their heads to the side…and closing their eyes…

"Hey guys! Sorry for being late!" Aiko said as she entered the music classroom, Sakura and Syaoran jumping away from each other as a reaction. She eyed both of them suspiciously "Mmm…did I really interrupt a scene or was it the real deal?"

"A scene!" they both said in unison, blushing madly as they did.

_**It happened again! That wasn't acting! Hell, at least I wasn't acting! I wonder if she actually wants to kiss me as much as I want to kiss her…**_

Aiko giggled at their reactions. She was a tiny girl for her age, her light brown hair up in a ponytail. Without another word, she quickly walked around the piano and sat in front of it, putting the music papers in front of her and getting ready.

"Oh well, since I just got here, we can start rehearsing the first song you guys sing together. You have the lyrics already, right? For You Are The Music In Me?" she asked. Both Sakura and Syaoran flipped the pages of their scripts and got to the page where they could read the lyrics from the song Aiko had just mentioned.

"Got it" Syaoran announced. Sakura nodded.

"Me too"

"Well, let's get moving then!" Aiko said enthusiastically. She immediately started playing, and both Sakura and Syaoran remained silent, since they knew the first lines of the song were Aiko's.

**Na na naa ra, na na naa ra, yeah…  
****You are the music in me…**

Sakura looked up at Syaoran and mouthed a 'She's good!'. Syaoran just nodded.

**You know the words once upon a time  
Make you listen  
There's a reason…**

Sakura then walked towards Aiko, to stand right next to her. Then both of them sang together.

**When you dream there's a chance you'll find  
A little laughter, or happy every after…**

Syaoran gulped. He felt nervous about singing with Sakura, but he knew he had no choice but to do so…and so he joined them…

**Your harmony to melody  
It's echoing inside my head**

**(Sakura)  
A single voice  
Above the noise  
And like a common thread**

**(Syaoran)  
Mmmm…you're pulling me!**

**(Sakura)  
When I hear my favorite song  
I know that we belong**

**(Syaoran)  
Oh, you are the music in me  
Yeaaah, it's living in all of us**

**(Sakura)  
And it's brought us heeeere because**

**(Both)  
You are the music in me  
Na na naa ra, na na naa ra, na na naa ra, yeah  
You are the music in me!**

Aiko couldn't help but giggle. She noticed that, suddenly, they had forgotten she was there…

**(Sakura)  
It's like I knew you before we met **

**(Syaoran)  
Before we met**

**(Sakura)  
Can't explain**

**(Syaoran)  
Ohh ohh**

**(Sakura)  
There's no name for it **

**(Syaoran)  
No name for it**

Syaoran suddenly grabbed Sakura's hands and they started dancing together, moved completely by the rhythm of the piano song played by Aiko and their voices, staring at each other intensely, suddenly smiling and really cheerful.

**(Both)  
I'm saying words I never said**

**(Syaoran)  
And it was easy **

**(Sakura)  
So easy**

**(Syaoran)  
Because you see the real me**

Aiko could not help but stare at them. They were naturals! They were totally synchronized with each other and she couldn't really believe it, since they had told her it was their first time singing.

**(Both)  
As I am  
You understand**

**And that's more than I've ever known**

**(Sakura)  
To hear your voice **

**(Syaoran)  
Hear your voice**

**(Sakura)  
Above the noise **

**(Syaoran)  
Ohh ohh**

**(Both)  
And no, I'm not alone**

**(Sakura)  
Oh you're singing to me**

**(Both)  
When I hear my favorite song**

**I know that we belong**

**You are the music in me**

**It's living in all of us**

**And it's brought us here because**

**You are the music in me**

"OH MY GOD, YOU TWO ARE GREAT!!" Aiko stopped playing at the sound of that voice, startled, and Sakura and Syaoran stopped singing too, the three of them turning towards the door. It was Chiharu and Takashi (Yamazaki), staring at them quite pleased. Syaoran just stared at them with his eyes widened.

_**What happened just now? It was as if Sakura and I were meant to sing together…I had never done that before!**_

"Aren't they? And they say they haven't rehearsed!" Aiko commented enthusiastically, making both Sakura and Syaoran blush.

"Well…it's logical that they synchronize naturally if they are a couple" Takashi observed.

"Hey, whoever said we were a couple?!" Syaoran exclaimed, wanting immediately to hit himself for his own stupidity.

_**What am I saying?! Sakura will think I hate the idea!**_

"If you're not a couple, why are you still holding each other's hands?" Chiharu pointed out. Sakura and Syaoran both looked down. They were, indeed, still holding hands, which made them both turn red and immediately let go off each other, looking away.

_**Jeez, what the hell is going on here?**__** I wish I could know what goes through her mind right now…**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

With a sigh, he collapsed on his knees to the ground, defeated. He had felt the presence of a Clow Card there, but now that he was there, in a lost spot among the trees of King Penguin Park, he could find no sign of such thing. He just remained there for a moment, staring at the ground.

_**Nothing's going well for me this week, it seems…**_

He was tired. It was a Sunday evening, it was already dark, and all the week he had been looking for a good moment to confess to Sakura, but they had been so busy with the play that he had found none. And to add up to that, he had the feeling that, ever since their little singing scene at the music classroom, Sakura had been avoiding him at all costs. Now he only really got to talk to her when they were on stage. He felt miserable.

_**She hates me…she must think I'm playing around with her feelings. I'm such a dork…**__**And now…starting tomorrow, Hideki is going to hit on her again and I'll definitely lose her…**_

"Syaoran?" he quickly looked up at hearing his name being called by such a beautiful voice. That voice that he loved so much…

"Sakura!"

"Hey…I felt the presence of a Clow Card…are you ok? Why are you kneeling on the ground?" she asked worried. Syaoran blushed slightly and quickly got up, dusting his knees.

"Ah! It's nothing, really. I also felt the presence, but it's gone now" he announced. Sakura nodded.

"Oh…ok, in that case, I better get going…" she said, turning around to leave.

_**No, you're not leaving now! I'm not letting you go!**_

"Wait!" Syaoran exclaimed, stretching a hand to the front, as to try and reach for her. Sakura stopped immediately, but did not turn to look at him.

"Yes?" she asked, rather coldly. Syaoran felt a pain in his heart by hearing such a tone from her usually sweet voice. But he had to be brave. He just had to do it. Now.

"Sakura, I have something really important I need to tell you. In fact I've been trying to tell you since quite a while now…" he admitted. Sakura finally turned around to face him, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Then go ahead and say it! I'm tired of you and your mysteriousness! It's like I don't know you anymore!" she exclaimed. Syaoran flinched.

_**I would lie if I told you I wasn't taken aback by this statement.**_

"What?"

"I don't understand you, Syaoran!" she exclaimed suddenly. Syaoran was shocked to see tears streaming down her face "I really don't get you! It's been a while already and you've been acting so weird! Sometimes I feel you so close to me…and then, the next second, it's like you hate me! What did I ever do to you, Syaoran?! What?!" she scolded, now crying loudly, covering her face with her thin hands after this to hide her pain from him. Syaoran could just stand there, frozen.

"Sakura, I…had no idea…" he managed to say. Sakura's sobs were breaking his heart. He could not just stand there and watch her cry! Suddenly, his body started to move out of instinct towards her, and soon, without even realizing it, he was hugging her. He held her close to him, his arms wrapped around her protectively, while she held on to his shirt and cried her heart out. He buried his face in her hair and closed his eyes, not really knowing what to do to calm her down.

"I hate you! I hate you! I HATE YOU!" she repeated, hitting him suddenly on the chest. Syaoran stared at her sadly. He then cupped her chin with his hand and brought her face up gently to look at him.

"Sakura…"

"Just say it…please…what's wrong with you?" she pleaded. Syaoran stared at her intensely.

"Sakura…I…damnit, I'm sorry! But I don't want our first kiss to be in the middle of a play!" he suddenly exclaimed and, without further warning, crashed his lips against hers. Sakura's eyes went wide open for a few moments, but then she closed them and completely accepted him, slipping her arms up and around his neck.

It was a heated, passionate kiss. Both of them had dreamed about the moment for so long that they had no desire to hold back any longer. Syaoran wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, one of his hands going up her back. Sakura moaned into his mouth as he slipped his tongue into hers, deepening the kiss even more. They would've stayed like that longer if the need for air hadn't make them part suddenly. They stared at each others eyes intensely, slightly panting, feeling that particular tickle on their bruised lips after such a passionate first kiss. Syaoran knew, just then, he had to put it into words.

_**Whatever…there goes nothing…**_

"I love you, Sakura. There, I said it. I'm completely, totally, head-over-heals in love with you. I'm sorry I caused you so much pain, but…this just had never happened to me, I didn't know how to react or even how to hide it from you. All my life I have been bragging about how fearless, strong, and brave I am, and yet…I found myself being afraid. I felt weak under your gaze and I definitely did not feel any courage to tell you what I was going through. Even now I…I'm still fearing your answer to all of this…" he confessed, not letting go of her, closing his eyes and waiting for her to react.

_**I've tried to do this so many times that I can't believe I just**__** actually did it.**_

She looked shocked, and Syaoran indeed looked rather afraid. She just stared at him like that for a few moments, before she was even able to speak.

"Do you…mean that?" she asked with a shaky voice. Syaoran nodded.

"I really do love you, Kinomoto Sakura" he repeated. And then something happened. Something that he had not been expecting. She smiled.

"You better not be kidding around, Li Syaoran!" she said, punching him slightly on the shoulder. Syaoran raised an eyebrow at her.

"Kidding around? Do you mean…?"

"I love you too, Li Syaoran" she confessed. Syaoran felt his heart could burst out from his chest any minute. He suddenly found himself smiling like he had never smiled before. He was actually laughing.

"Sakura…I love you so much, Sakura!" he exclaimed, grabbing her by her waist, lifting her up and spinning her around in the air. Sakura laughed with joy too. She too had been dreaming about that moment. Once he put her down, they stared into each others eyes and leaned in for another kiss. Their lips were about to touch when…

"Hey, look!" Sakura exclaimed, pulling away suddenly and pointing up. Syaoran looked up too. The sky was filling with small glowing green spheres. They looked like fireflies, but they knew they weren't.

"It's the Clow Card…" Syaoran muttered, more annoyed than he was pleased. He had come to hate the moment of those cards showing up! Always interrupting him…

"Let's do something Syaoran!" Sakura exclaimed, reaching into her coat and pulling out the magic key "Key of Clow! Power of Magic! Power of--!"

"Oh no, not now!" Syaoran exclaimed, pulling Sakura towards him and kissing her again. Sakura was shocked at first at his initiative, but who was she trying to fool? She wanted it. Besides, the Clow Card didn't really look like an aggressive one. It could wait.

And so, they both stood under that tender rain of glowing lights, sweetly kissing each other, pouring all of their feelings into the action, afraid to let go off each other. But something told them that, from now on, things were going to be getting better.

**When I hear my favorite song (Favorite song)  
I know that we belong (We belong)  
You are the music in me  
Yeah it's living in all of us  
It's brought us here because (Here because)  
You are the music in me  
Na na na na (Ohh yeah)  
Na na na na (Ohh yeah)  
Na na na na  
You are the music in me (Yeah)**

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

This was so long! Longer than I expected! Anyways, I hope I didn't let anyone down. Please tell me what you think!


	15. A darkened final scene

Hello…I know…this took a while.

And you know what? The next one may take longer. I'm saying this because, even if you post saying that you are impatiently waiting it'll be the same, it'll still take long. I'm finishing the school semester, and this is not my priority. Please bear with me…

Anyways, I'll get to answering the reviews.

**Rubbish** – Lol, yeah, finally. Sorry, by the way, for not answering your last question yesterday on msn. My roommate came in and he was asking tons of stuff XD I'm not a god but I guess I just know how to get organized XD I wonder how I get everything done, too.  
**Nightmares of Love** – Yeah, I wish mine did so too. Real boyfriends should learn of Syaoran, don't you think? xD  
**Pipi-chan** – Gracias por los cumplidos! Hice lo mejor que pude :)  
**Delight046** – Thanks, and sorry for the lack of updates.  
**Teruna Hime** – It's good to know that you liked it. I like your reviews, you always make solid comments and not only 'oh great! Update!'. Those are pretty frequent XD Thanks for taking your time at writing your reviews. I hope the update didn't take too long for you.  
**AngelEmCuti **– Yeah, finally, right?  
**Jennycuenca** – Thanks! Everyone seemed to like it!  
**Lhaine07** – Lol, there will be more romance coming up, don't worry. And I'm glad I didn't mess up the timing.  
**Thorns of a rose** – Yeah I know, there was a lot of tension, but they're together now. Still…a lot more can happen. And about the updates, they'll take this long from now on, sorry. I guess everyone has to get used to the fact that I don't have the time anymore.  
**Gero** – Jajajaja, ya se, por fin, no? Descuida, sigo al pendiente de la escuela a pesar de también estar al pendiente de las cosas que me gustan, estoy encontrando un balance XD  
**Amey27** – Thanks!  
**Sa-chann** – Don't worry about the review flooding, I love reviews :3 Thank you for all of them! I didn't make him dance Bet On It, you can rest assured of that special topic. But I can make fun of him a little, right? Just a little xD For the sake of my good humor  
**Saphirablossom** – Oh, Hideki won't have much say in this chapter, you'll know about that on the next one. And yeah, Eriol does come in just as in the series, after they undergo the Final Judgment.  
**KuzoNh** – No it's not the last chapter, don't worry. There's still a long way to go xD  
**Ghoster88** – Yeah, I guess I would have been highly flamed if I had taken any longer. And no, the story isn't over. I know not everyone liked the high school musical idea that much, but for those of you who didn't… this is the last chapter that is going to mention that stuff XD It's after all just a phase in the whole story.  
**Destiny-hope-4ever** – Jejejeje que bueno que te agradara, ya se que todos esperaban esto con ansias XD  
**Pigtails5** – Thanks for reviewing, I will continue it!  
**Fallen from the sky** – Thanks! Good to know!  
**Star02** – Thanks for reviewing!  
**OMG** – Thanks:3  
**SakuraJade** – Nice to know about you again! I hadn't thought about that necklace, you're right…it would've been a good idea, stupid me XD Oh well, I'll try not to disappoint you from now on!

And now, back to the story.

**Chapter 15 – A darkened final scene**

"Hey Sakura, are you going back home?" Tomoyo asked, making Sakura look up while she was packing her stuff in her backpack. She smiled.

"No, Syaoran asked me to spend some time with him before we have to meet up at the auditorium for the rehearsals" she answered. Tomoyo giggled.

"How sweet of him. Makes me want to have a boyfriend. Well, in that case I'll see you later at the auditorium. Naoko told me she wanted you guys to rehearse once in your actual outfits" Tomoyo informed cheerfully. Sakura nodded.

"I'm sure they're great!"

"Of course they are! I made them! Well, see you later then!" Tomoyo added, turning around to leave. Sakura waved at her.

"See you, Tomoyo!" she said, watching her leave.

_**I guess, for now, I can't ask anything else for my life. It's like a dream come true…I'm Syaoran's girlfriend! **__**I've been his girlfriend for a little more than a month now. And, believe it or not, he is so sweet! Nothing like what I first thought about him, of being so self-conceited and cold-hearted. Not at all! I guess I had figured that out before, but it's so nice to finally see him at ease all the time. I love him so much!**_

"Sakura!" Syaoran exclaimed, approaching towards her with his backpack hanging from his left shoulder "Shall we go now?" he asked, a small sexy wink adorning his question. Sakura blushed slightly and giggled.

"Sure!"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"I'm telling you, if Naoko makes me repeat the Bet On It scene once more, I'm going to flip!" Syaoran complained, just before stuffing his mouth with a huge bite from a blueberry muffin. Sakura giggled, taking another sip from her hot chocolate. They were sitting together at a small round table inside a cozy coffee shop just nearby the school, where she usually went with Tomoyo. They couldn't go that far since they still had to go back for afternoon rehearsals. The play was just a couple of weeks away.

_**I actually fin the Bet On It scene amusing XD**_

(A/N: For those who didn't see HSM2, the Bet On It scene is where the main male character, Troy Bolton, sings the song with that title, and it's a solo scene with him dancing randomly and…rather awkwardly around in a golf course.)

"But you still have to do it again in the actual play…" she reminded, an amused smile on her face as she stared at him. Syaoran grunted.

"Oh, don't get technical with me" he complained once again, playfully getting mad at her "I don't like you, you are so evil with me" he added, looking away from her. Sakura giggled once again. She found it so amusing when he played around like that, she could hardly believe he was the same Syaoran she had known the semester before that.

"I'm not evil with you, I love you" she replied, and then playfully pouted "But if you don't love me, then fine! I'll go ask Kotarou out, then!"

_**Ok, maybe that IS somewhat evil…**_

"Sakura! I told you not to joke with that!" he complained immediately after her remark, finally turning to look at her. Sakura laughed.

"I knew that particular statement would get you out of your dramatic scene! You know, acting is really not your thing" she said, narrowing her eyes at him with an evil smile on her lips. Syaoran chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess I'm too much into it now"

"Admit it! You're totally enjoying yourself! You find this play so fun!"

"Hey, hey! Don't push your luck! I'm not 'enjoying myself'! I just…don't think it's that bad anymore"

"You love it!"

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do. You totally do!"

"No! I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

"SAKURA!"

"What?" she asked, leaning farther on the table, looking up at him with big, shiny eyes. Syaoran stared at her and then flinched.

"Oh no! Puppy eyes! You know I can't resist them!" he exclaimed, a fake scared expression on his face as he playfully tried to cover his eyes. Sakura giggled.

"Yes! Feel their full power!"

"Oh, ok, alright, you win! Stop that!"

"Why? Aren't I pretty???" she asked, blinking a lot. Syaoran chuckled.

"Just shut up and kiss me" he said finally, pulling her to him gently from the back of her head and kissing her full on the lips. Sakura giggled into his mouth as he did, making him smile too.

_**Oh yeah…It wasn't at all hard to get used to this…**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Hey, Li! That really suits you!" exclaimed Takashi as Syaoran came out from the changing room wearing the outfit that Tomoyo had made especially for him. Of course, as you can imagine, Syaoran wasn't used to preppy clothes like the ones Troy Bolton wears…

"You have GOT to be kidding me!" he complained. Tomoyo giggled.

"Don't worry, I think the waiter outfit will be less painful to wear. I also made you the basketball jacket!" she commented enthusiastically. Syaoran sighed.

"Oh well… I guess I can cope with it…"

"OH MY GOD! SAKURA YOU LOOK SO PRETTY!!!" Naoko exclaimed suddenly. Syaoran turned around and then abruptly felt time stop around him and he caught her gaze with his. She looked, indeed, so pretty that she had taken his breath away. She was wearing a white blouse with blue dots, long to her hips, tightened under her chest, with a very attractive but not-so-indecent cleavage. She was wearing a blue hair band with a discrete blue bow and black tight leggings that went a little past her knees. Syaoran hadn't noticed, but his mouth was open and his jaw hanging down, which made Tomoyo giggle like crazy.

"Watch out for the flees, Mr. Li" she said, pushing the boys jaw up, forcing him to close his mouth and making him jump, startled as he was to have been so abruptly pulled down from his cloud of thoughts. Tomoyo went towards Sakura and pulled out her video camera, pointing it at her.

"And here she is, wearing the outfit for the first time!!! You look so pretty, Sakura dear! Do you like the clothes?" she asked excitedly. Sakura giggled.

"I always like your designs, Tomoyo. And this one's really comfortable" she commented.

"I think you should use clothes like that more often, Sakura, they really suit you!" Rika exclaimed. Sakura blushed slightly.

"You think?"

_**Oh my god! I'm so embarrassed! Everyone's looking!**_

"It is true, Sakura!" Tomoyo assured.

"Hey, Chiharu came out of the dressing rooms!" Takashi announced, getting everybody's attention. As everyone went over to where Chiharu was, they left Sakura alone, with just Syaoran still standing in front of her, his eyes fixed on her. She blushed even more and diverted her gaze down to her feet.

"Uh…Syaoran…do you think I look alright?" she asked shyly.

_**He's actually the one who**__**se opinion I really care about…**_

Syaoran walked towards her until he was standing a few inches away, and then released the air he had been holding in his lungs out of tension.

"You look beautiful" he said, smiling at her. Sakura looked up at him and smiled too.

"You look very handsome, too, you know?" she commented with a slight giggled. Syaoran chuckled.

"Don't say that, I look ridiculous"

"Of course not! You look fine, really!"

"Not as good as you" he said, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek. She immediately felt shivers all through her body when he suddenly lowered his lips to her neck, his hands slightly gripping her shoulders. The feeling of his warm breath was clouding her mind.

_**H-He had never done that! What is he doing? Wait, why do I even care? It feels good…**_

As if hearing her thoughts, Syaoran suddenly pulled away fast, staring at her with eyes widened and cheeks flustered.

"Uh…I…I'm sorry…I got carried away" he apologized. Sakura blushed too.

"It's ok…" she whispered.

_**I actually didn't want you to stop…**_

Syaoran leaned down to rest his forehead against hers and smiled.

"It's all your fault" he whispered. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Uh?"

"It's because you're so pretty that you drive me crazy" he muttered, making shiver once more.

_**What is this weird feeling?**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Good morning!" Sakura said cheerfully as she entered the kitchen and sat down at the breakfast table. Touya looked up from his cereal with a slight grin.

"You woke up early. Isn't that a biblical sign for the apocalypse?" he asked. Sakura stuck her tongue out at him.

"Very funny!"

"I guess she must be excited because of her play today" Fujitaka intervened in their childish dispute, a sweet smile adorning his usually peaceful features. Sakura smiled back at him.

"Yeah! I feel so nervous! I just hope the rehearsals were enough!"

_**I think we have been doing a really good job, but I still can't help but feel really anxious!**_

"You guys managed all of the dances?"

"Yes, although the last one was tricky. Syaoran and Takashi kept tripping" she commented with a giggle, remembering the funny mistakes the boys had been doing during rehearsals. Touya eyed her with a slight hint of disapproval.

"Syaoran as in the Chinese brat you've been seeing?"

"Syaoran as in SYAORAN! Don't call him brat!" she complained. Touya chuckled.

"Whatever"

"TOUYA!"

"Touya, stop bothering your sister"

"Whatever, dad. I'm just fooling around. By the way, I will get to the auditorium straight after football practice, so I'll see you there, ok?" Touya reminded as he started to get up from the table, having finished his breakfast. Fujitaka nodded.

"I'll also get there straight after work. See you, son" he said, as Touya walked out towards the door. As soon as they heard it closing, Touya was gone. Sakura soon finished her breakfast too.

"Well, I think I'll be going too, dad, I'll—" Sakura was about to finish the phrase with 'see you at the auditorium, then!' when the doorbell rang. Fujitaka raised an eyebrow.

"That's weird. I'm not really expecting anyone this early in the morning"

"Me neither. I'll go see who it is" Sakura said, getting up and rushing to the door. She gasped as soon as she opened it.

_**Oh my god, Syaoran!**_

"Uh…good morning" he said, blushing and diverting his gaze to his feet. Sakura giggled. She loved how he was always so shy with her, and still…

_**And still…sometimes I just wish he was a little more confident.**_

"Good morning, Syaoran!" she greeted cheerfully. Fujitaka had, by now, reached the door and was staring at Syaoran.

"Oh, good morning, young man"

"AH! Good morning, sir! My name is Li Syaoran, nice to meet you!" he practically yelled out of nervousness, bowing rather robotically. Sakura couldn't help but giggle once again, but Fujitaka was still smiling as peacefully as always.

"You must be Sakura's boyfriend, right?" he asked. Syaoran just nodded like crazy.

"I…I came here t-to…to walk her to…to school…." he managed to say. Fujitaka nodded.

"So nice of you. Well, Sakura, you guys better get going if you don't want to be late" Fujitaka said, now addressing Sakura. She nodded.

"Yeah, see you at the auditorium this afternoon, dad!" she exclaimed, putting on her roller-skates and skating out besides Syaoran.

"See you, my dear. Please take care of her, Li-kun" Fujitaka said, waving at them. Syaoran nodded.

"Sure!" he replied, as Fujitaka closed the door. Sakura stared at him as they walked/skated to school, with a wondering expression on her face. Syaoran suddenly realized he was still being a little stiff and shook his head, trying to relax a bit and taking hold of Sakura's hand with his own as they continued to walk in silence.

_**He's so quiet!**_

"Is something wrong, Syaoran?" she asked suddenly. He shook his head.

"No…I was just a little nervous, that's all"

"About the play or about meeting my father?" she asked. Syaoran blushed.

"I guess it's a little of both. Although the second one is fresher right now" he admitted. Sakura giggled and skated to stand in front of him, making him stop.

"Oh, come on Syaoran, don't be like that! When you are that serious you remind me of when you first came and were always mean to me!"

"Don't talk to me about that, please. I'm ashamed of ever mistreating you" he said, looking away. Sakura placed both hands on his cheeks and forced him to look at her. She smiled.

"Don't torture yourself with it. I told you it's ok"

"But, still…"

"No buts! I said I love you, didn't I?"

"Sakura…"

"AND! You said you love me"

"That I did" he replied with a slight grin on the corner of his mouth, making her giggle.

_**He looks so handsome when he does that! And damn attractive!**_

"Well, then let's just leave it at that" she said, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. He chuckled.

"You are awesome, you know?"

"Of course I am! I'm the best!" she said in a playfully arrogant tone, making him laugh lightheartedly.

"Come here, you snob!" he exclaimed, acting fast and lifting her up from the ground, one hand lifting her legs and the other one supporting her back. Sakura instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

"AH! SYAORAN! What the hell are you doing?!"

"What does it look like?! Taking you to school, of course!"

"Put me down!"

"No way!" he exclaimed, staring to run in the direction of the school, both of them laughing like crazy.

_**God, I love this man SO MUCH!**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Sakura, dear, hurry up! It's about to begin!" Tomoyo said, as she saw Sakura coming out of the dressing rooms. Sakura nodded and hurried towards her as she was told to.

"Sorry, I'm done now!" she said.

"Ok, gather around for a moment, everyone!" professor Mizuki called, making everyone turn towards her to listen. The excited chattering was stopped for a few minutes, all the cast and staff silently staring at her.

"I wanted to say that everyone has done a great job up to now. I'm very proud of you, especially of the ones that at first found it really difficult to put up with the rehearsals" she started her speech. Sakura leaned to the side towards Syaoran, who was standing right beside her and already wearing his Troy Bolton outfit.

"That must mean you" she whispered discreetly.

_**I can never miss an opportunity to tease him :3**_

"You are pure evil, you know that?"

"Anyways, I just wanted to wish everyone the best of lucks" professor Mizuki continued, smiling brightly "I have no doubt that this play will be a complete success" she finished, everyone cheering after her. Sakura sighed as she stared at the woman with a dreamy expression on her face and both hands on her own cheeks.

"Professor Mizuki is so cool!" she said. Syaoran frowned at her.

"Why is it that you find her so appealing? I think she's suspicious… I'm never able to feel her presence as she approaches and that gives me the creeps. You should look out for her, she might not be on our side" he said seriously. Sakura frowned too.

"On our side? What do you mean by that?"

_**Sometimes I think Syaoran is just overcritical about professor Mizuki, but I can never really discard his warnings, since I trust so much in his judgment.**_

"I'm not quite sure. But I know one thing: She has strong magical powers" he stated, glaring at the teacher. Professor Mizuki noticed she was being watched and turned to look at him. Instead of glaring back, she just smiled at him and turned away.

"Magical powers?" Sakura repeated in disbelief. Syaoran was about to answer when Naoko popped out of nowhere suddenly in the middle of both.

"What are you guys doing?! Go! To your places!" she commanded. With time, she had turned twice as neurotic as before. Sakura nodded and grabbed Syaoran's hand, pulling him towards the stage. It was the moment of truth.

_**I hope we do fine!**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"How are they doing, Naoko?" Tomoyo whispered as she came back from the vending machine, holding an orange juice. Naoko didn't turn to look at her, her eyes glued to the stage. They were hiding backstage, watching the advance of the play.

"They are just about to start singing Work It Out" she commented. Tomoyo stared intently, as she had always loved that part of the play. Well…who am I kidding? She loved the whole play.

"_Suddenly I'm beginning to miss detention with Miss Darbus! How sick is that?!"_ Takashi's voice was heard as he acted his part, throwing his apron at Syaoran. The scene was in the kitchen of a vacation resort, where all of the main characters (Except Kotarou and Kaede who were playing as Ryan and Sharpay) were working as a summer job. They had just been harshly told off by Sanosuke, the boy that was playing Mr. Fulton, their boss.

"_Come on! We have two free meals a day and we just have to wear these stupid outfits on duty! All for one and one for all, all right? NOW WHAT TEAM?!_" acted Syaoran, trying to look as enthusiastic as he could. Truth be told, he had gotten really good at it. Sakura was right beside him.

_**Don't laugh, Sakura, don't laugh…**_

"_WILD CATS!!!_" everyone yelled.

"_WHAT TEAM?!"_ Syaoran repeated a little louder.

"_WILD CATS!!!_" they responded. Takashi approached him with a frown.

"_Come on…_" he said. And then, he started singing.

**Takashi)**

**How did we get from the top of the world  
To the bottom of the heap?**

**Chiharu)**

**I don't recall you mentioning  
The boss was such a creep!**

"Oh my god, I love this dance!" commented Rika as she joined Naoko and Tomoyo. She had been at the sound cabinet arranging everything for the song. Tomoyo nodded.

"They really do it justice, right?" she asked.

"SSSSHHHH!!" Naoko hushed them, making a swift movement with her hand "Syaoran is about to do his singing and dancing solo, you don't wanna miss this part!"

**(Everyone)**

**Just wish I haaaad three wishes**

"_Ok guys, break it up_" Sakura asked, as she pushed through the people that were complaining at Troy (Syaoran). Syaoran took a deep breath. _Ok, here goes nothing_ he thought.

**(Syaoran)**

**We've got to work!  
Work!  
Work this out!  
We'll make things right  
The sun will shine!  
If we work!  
Work!  
They'll be no doubt  
We can still save the summer  
If we work this out!**

"_Dude! What did you get us into?"_ Takashi complained as soon as Syaoran finished his dance. Syaoran, who had managed to keep his cool afterwards, jumped around to face him.

"_Come on! We can totally turn this thing around!_" he replied.

"Tomoyo, please go get Shin. Tell him I need another spotlight over there" Naoko said, pointing at a spot on the stage "There's not enough light"

"I'll go" Rika said "You enjoy the dance, Tomoyo"

"Thank you, Rika" Tomoyo replied as she left. Soon, Maki came running towards them.

"What did I miss?" she asked. Tomoyo giggled.

"You came to the best part. The song is about to end so they'll all dance together" she commented. And, indeed, this was happening.

**(Takashi)**

**Buy a ride that suits my style**

**(Chiharu)**

**Lounge around the pool a while**

**(Troy)**

**Make a date with my favorite girl**

**(Everyone)**

**We've got it made!**

**We've got to work!  
Work!  
Work this out!  
We'll make things right  
The sun will shine!  
If we work!  
Work!  
They'll be no doubt  
****If we all work together  
We can work this out!**

**Work this! Gotta work this!**

**We can work this out!**

"_So can we work it out?"_ Syaoran asked at the end of the song. Takashi nodded.

"_Yeah, we can work it out_" he replied, and the scene ended.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

**(Sakura and Syaoran)**

**You are the music in me!**

Sakura and Syaoran were dancing next to the piano where Aiko was playing the one song they didn't have to rehearse a lot since they seemed to be able to synchronize naturally.

**(Sakura)  
It's like I knew you before we met **

**(Syaoran)  
Before we met**

**(Sakura)  
Can't explain**

**(Syaoran)  
Ohh ohh**

**(Sakura)  
There's no name for it **

**(Syaoran)  
No name for it**

"Grrr, why does it always have to be that boy?!" a very angry Touya muttered, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He and his father were sitting among the audience, watching the play. Fujitaka chuckled at his son's comment, glancing at him before turning his attention towards the play again.

"I think he's a nice guy. You shouldn't judge him so harshly, Touya"

"What if he turns out to be horrible?!"

"What if he doesn't?" Fujitaka replied calmly. Touya grunted.

"I don't know…" he said, sort of wondering about the future "I really can't picture a guy that I would actually approve for Sakura…"

**(Sakura and Syaoran)**

**When I hear my favorite song  
I know that we belong (Yeah ohh)  
You are the music in me  
It's living in all of us  
And it's brought us here because  
You are the music in me  
**

**Together we're gonna sing**

**(Syaoran)**

**Yeah  
**

**(Sakura and Syaoran)**

**We got the power to sing what we feel **

**(Sakura)**

**What we feel**

**(Syaoran)**

**Connected and real**

**(Sakura and Syaoran)**

**Can't keep it all inside**

In that part of the scene, all of the other actors (including Takashi and Chiharu) entered the scene along with Aiko, Sakura and Syaoran, and started to sing along with them. Syaoran picked Sakura up from her waist and raised her to sit on the piano.

**(Everyone)**

**Na na na na (Ohh yeah)  
Na na na na na (Ohh yeah)  
Yeah yeah yeah (Na na na na)  
You are the music in me  
Na na na na (Ohh yeah)  
Na na na na na (Ohh yeah)  
Na na na na  
You are the music in me  
When I hear my favorite song (Favorite song)  
I know that we belong (We belong)  
You are the music in me  
Yeah it's living in all of us  
It's brought us here because (Here because)**

Syaoran brought Sakura down from the piano and they hugged, staring into each others eyes and slowly swaying to the rhythm.

**  
****You are the music in me  
Na na na na (Ohh yeah)  
Na na na na (Ohh yeah)  
Na na na na**

**You are the music in me**

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Syaoran, let's go, it's the last scene!" Sakura said, motioning for him to go with her back on stage. Syaoran looked down and blushed.

"Does that mean…we have to…kiss…in front of everyone?" he asked. Sakura giggled at his question.

"Well, you've known that for a while now, haven't you?" she reminded. Syaoran nodded.

"Yeah, but…well…we have never done that"

"You know what they say. There's always a first time for everything, right?" she said, smiling sweetly at him. Syaoran grinned as he saw her smile.

"Yeah, I think you're right"

"EVERYONE ON STAGE!!!" both of them jumped at hearing Naoko's hysterical yelling. They sweatdropped.

"I think we don't have much choice. Let's go now!" Sakura exclaimed, taking Syaoran's hand and pulling him with her. They appeared on stage just as the lights went on again, Chiharu and Yamazaki on one side, Kaede and Kotarou on the other side, a replay of You Are The Music in Me on the background, with a scenery of the night outdoors. Everyone looked happy that all of their problems were over. Syaoran and Sakura looked at each other, and suddenly, the spotlight just illuminated both of them.

"_Here's to the future_" Sakura said with a smile. She noticed Syaoran taking a deep breath "Come on, we're together" she whispered so only Syaoran could hear. He chuckled.

"No…here's to right now" he replied finally, leaning towards her. Sakura leaned in too, and just as they were going to kiss…

…something really weird happened.

Everything went dark. It was as if some kind of unnatural darkness had swallowed everything and everyone, leaving both of them just standing there.

"Oh my god, what happened?!" Sakura wondered, pressing against Syaoran, who hugged her closer.

"Jeez! What a weird moment for it to appear!" he exclaimed, and then looked down at Sakura, who also looked up at him "Sakura, we have to be careful! It's a Clow Card! It's The--" just as he was about to reveal its name, he too was swallowed by the darkness, leaving Sakura all alone. Sakura just stared at where Syaoran had been, here eyes widened.

"SYAORAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"YOU!" Kero exclaimed as his wings had carried him to be right in front of professor Mizuki, who, as always, was just smiling peacefully. Neither of them had been swallowed by darkness, but they would not interfere with Sakura.

"You've noticed me, I see" she replied with the same sweetness she always had towards others. Kero frowned.

"Your powers are too obvious to be overlooked…Yue…" he said. Professor Mizuki giggled.

"Are you that sure about me being Yue?"

"What else would bring you around Sakura the way you have been?"

"Well…let's just say…someone asked me to do something for her"

"Someone?"

"You'll know someday…"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Sakura was just kneeling on what seemed to be the floor, crying her heart out. Syaoran had been taken away from her and she was alone…all alone…but then she gasped as she remembered something.

_**Syaoran…he…he would not want me to just cry and not do anything!**_

Slowly, she wiped her tears away and got up, standing straight.

_**I have to do something! I must bring everyone back! I must bring Syaoran back! But what to do? What can I possibly do against darkness?**_

Then, suddenly, it occurred to her…something wasn't right…

_**Wait a minute…if everyone has been swallowed by darkness…why haven't I? Is it because of my powers? No…Syaoran had powers too and he was swallowed by it nonetheless. No…there's something else…I…I'm shinning! Why am I shinning? It's…what shines in the dark…**_

"It's The Light!" she exclaimed. Suddenly, a light shone from inside her body, coming from her chest, where her heart was. After a few seconds, she was in front of her. The white lady. She was the Clow Card. She was The Light.

"You did well. I'm surprised you finally noticed. I have been inside you all of this time. But you still have to name someone else" the Clow Card told her with her melodically toned voice. Sakura stared at her and then nodded.

"If it's you who where shinning in it, the other one must be The Dark" she said. As she said this, the other card appeared in front of her too. She was very similar to The Light, but her colors in general were tones of dark gray and black. The cards took their hands and stared at Sakura smiling.

"Now you must seal us together" they said in unison. Sakura nodded.

"Key of Clow! Power of Magic, Power of Light! Surrender the one, the force ignite! RELEASE!!!! RETURN TO THE GUISE YOU WERE MEANT TO BE IN!!! CLOW CARDS!!!" she yelled as she sealed them, both letting her do so with no resistance.

"Just remember to keep this same strength. The last to judge you will be Yue" they warned as they changed into cards.

"Yue? Who is Yue?" Sakura asked confused. But they had already turned back into cards.

"Yue is really close…" she heard them say. And, just like it had come, it left. The darkness that engulfed everything vanished, and suddenly she was back on stage, everyone watching her, and Syaoran was in front of her, looking bewildered.

"What's going on?! KISS, DAMNIT!" hissed Naoko from backstage. Tomoyo blinked twice.

"Somehow I feel like something happened…" she muttered to herself.

Sakura felt like crying when she saw Syaoran again, but she suddeny remembered that she was still in the middle of a play. Syaoran, though, didn't look like he cared about that, since he had been worried to death when he was forced to part with his dear Sakura.

"Sak--" to stop him from saying his name, she just threw her arms around him and kissed him. Syaoran, who suddenly remembered where they had been, went with the flow and kissed her back, hugging her close to him. Everyone cheered at them, audience and cast included.

"And now to the great ending! Let's go everyone!" Naoko said, motioning to everyone backstage. They look bewildered.

"You mean…the dancers, right?" Tomoyo asked. Naoko laughed.

"No! I MEAN EVERYONE! Come on guys, you know the steps!" she said. Smiling, everyone followed her outside.

**Everybody all for one,  
A real summer has just begun!  
Let's rock and roll and just let go,  
feel the rhythm of the drums  
We're gonna have fun in the sun  
Now that all the hard work, work is done!  
Everybody, one for all, **

**Everybody ALL! FOR! ONE!**

Let's rock and roll and just let go,  
feel the rhythm of the drums  
We're gonna have fun in the sun  
Now that all the hard work, work is done!  
Come on, everyone let's dance!  
We can't let this moment pass!  
Let's make this party laaaaaaaaaaaast!

**  
All for one!**

**  
All! For! One!**

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

And that's that! Read and Review!


	16. The oldest of issues

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!!!

I know it's been ages!!! Still…I wasn't gonna let this just die, I love this fic X3 Don't expect the greatest of chapters, though…I just have had so much to do, I didn't have time to continue…

Oh well, I'll proceed answering the reviews

**KuzoNh** – Thanks for the comments, I appreciate it :3

**Lhaine07** – Thank you so much! I think you'll find this chapter amusing, then, since it's on some things you mentioned you wanted to see XD

**Destiny-hope-4ever** – Jejeje, si, ya solo falta una carta XD Me alegra que te este gustando.

**StarAngel02** – It's hard to make that one original, but I tried XD

**Rubbish** – Yeah…Syaoran is getting ideas XD

**Pipi-chan** – Habra un poco mas sobre Touya en el futuro XD muy cercano, por cierto

**Saphirablossom** – Well, we're still missing one card, so the final judgment will have to wait a bit XD

**Bluestarmanga** – Yeap, Eriol will appear on the second half of the fanfic, which isn't that far away now XD And Yue will appear maybe in the next chapter

**AngelEmCuti** – Sorry for the delay XD

**Teruna Hime** – I don't know if I'll write another fic, I haven't been able to keep up with this one as much as I would like to… but I really wanted to rewrite Card Captors XD

**AkitoxXxSana46** – No, I never said it was

**SakuraJade** – Wow, long review! Ok, first of all…thanks for the observation, I am of course trying to improve, but maybe this chapter will have a little more mistakes because I have been writing it in parts and not checking it quite like the others. And yeah…Zac Efron's clothes in the last song are a mess. And his dancing on Bet On It is just plain weird XD And I'm not a fan of leggings either but Sakura looks cute in almost everything XD And last but not least, thanks for your understanding and support!

**Vixen's Shadow** – Yeah, but you don't have to be an HSM fan, this was the end of it, believe me XD And thanks for the comment! Sorry for the delay, though!

**Gero** – Que difícil de complacer eres, chico! Jajajaja bueno, en cuanto a la emocion…dame chance, no todos los capitulos son de pelear a muerte XD Y dales chance, dejalos descansar pobres, que se quieran tantito XD Pero bueno, a fin de cuentas en este cap ya hay mas de todo. En cuanto a Touya y a la profesora….cambie algunas cosas y no van a ser muy relevantes, porq esto es un fic SxS y ellos no me interesan en lo mas minimo XD Los menciono de puro tramite.

**Sa-chann** – Don't worry, the whole fanfic is a bunch of fluff, you'll have many chances to see that XD

**Thorns of a rose** – Again sorry for the delay (I wonder how many times I already wrote that?) and thanks for the comments, I'm trying to stick to my storyline but it's sometimes hard to incorporate some of the original stuff, I'm glad I'm at least not making a fool of myself XD

**Deynaz** – Sorry that it took me so long, but here it is XD

**Suspended on silver wings** – Don't worry, HSM is over in this fanfic. And sorry for the delay too, been busy XD

Well, on with the story now!!!

**Chapter 16 – The oldest of issues**

"So…I hear you are from China" Touya said, sitting on the couch opposite from Syaoran. They were both waiting in the living room while Sakura and her father prepared dinner for the four of them. Sakura had been very excited about inviting Syaoran over, since he had not had the time to meet her family.

Syaoran felt uncomfortable under the protective-brother glare he was receiving from Touya. Somehow he got the feeling that, no matter where he came from, Touya would still hate him.

_**So, there's no helping it…really…**_

"Yeah…I'm from China…"

"And what the hell are you doing all the way over here?" came Touya's aggressive retort. Syaoran flinched.

_**This guy gets on my nerves.**_

"I had some stuff to do here" he plainly answered.

"And when do you go back?"

"I don't want to go back" Syaoran replied, with more honesty that he meant to use "But…I guess…at some point, I'll have to…"

"When?"

"You want me out of here, don't you?" asked Syaoran, his temper getting the best of him for a moment. Touya was about to reply when…

…the doorbell rang

**--DING DONG-- **

"Saved by the bell" muttered Touya, before getting up to open the door.

"Can you get that, son?!" came Fujitaka's yell from the kitchen.

"Got it!" replied Touya before opening the door. From where he was, Syaoran could not see the people outside, but he recognized her voice immediately…it was Professor Mizuki.

THAT WOMAN! What the HELL is she doing here?! There's something about here that's not normal, why won't Sakura listen?!

"Good evening" said the infamous woman (in Syaoran's words) as she came into the living room. Syaoran could not help but glare at her, but Professor Mizuki was used to it. She never glared back at him, though. She was always showing her optimistic and radiant smile.

"Hi…" he said plainly. And then, just as he had said that, Touya came back into the living room, followed by some individual Syaoran had never seen before. He was shorter than Touya, with silver gray hair, and rounded glasses. He too wore a smile on his face. One as pacific and radiant as Professor Mizuki's, but to Syaoran it seemed different. He immediately felt he liked the guy…

_**This is weird…**_

"Oh! Good evening! You must be Sakura-chan's boyfriend. My name is Yukito, I believe we hadn't met before" the guy said, bowing at Syaoran. Syaoran stood up and did the same.

"Good evening! My name is Li Syaoran, nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too, Li-san. Sakura has told me about you" he said enthusiastically. Syaoran raised an eyebrow.

"It's funny, though, she has never told me about you…"

"Yukito!!!" came a sudden exclamation from behind. Sakura came running and hugged Yukito around his neck. Yukito hugged her back.

_**WHAT THE HELL?!**_

"Hey, Sakura-chan! Long time no see!" he replied. Syaoran suddenly felt his blood boiling inside him. He had never, after all, seen Sakura hug another man. No, not even Takashi Yamazaki…why was this guy so important to her? Well, that didn't matter…he wasn't gonna like it, whatever the answer was.

"I know! I heard from my brother you were very busy at work" Sakura said, as she stopped hugging him. Yukito nodded.

"Yeah, this school semester has been very demanding. Sometimes I wish I was still in high school"

"Oh, hello Yukito" said Fujitaka as he came into the living room too, drying his hands with a green towel "Good evening, Kahou. You two came just in time, dinner's ready"

"Good evening, Mr. Kinomoto" said Kahou, who up to now Syaoran hadn't noticed. Syaoran glared at her before focusing back on the random new guy happily talking to Sakura. HIS Sakura!

_**First Hideki…now this…**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"Syaoran…you were awfully quiet during dinner…is something wrong?" Sakura asked, as she walked Syaoran out the door of her house. Kahou, Yukito, Touya and Fujitaka were still inside, chatting in the living room, but Syaoran had excused himself saying he had stuff to do early the next day, even though it was a Saturday. Sakura, though, had not believed any of it of course.

"Nothing, I'm…I'm just tired, that's all" he said, trying to immediately walk away after that. Sakura held his arm before he could do so.

"Wait…I know you have something wrong…"

"If you know it all, then why do you ask?!" he blurted out suddenly, turning around once more to face her and staring at her with a disapproving frown. Sakura just stared back at him in shock, slowly taking her hand away from him with a hint of fear in her eyes.

"Syaoran…you had never yelled at me…" she said, sounding hurt. Syaoran took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair.

_**Jeez, I think I went too far…**_

"I…I'm sorry, I really am tired…"

"Syaoran, if you need help, please let me help you…" Sakura insisted, again moving towards him, raising her arms to try to hug him around his neck. Instead, Syaoran grasped her wrists carefully and slowly pulled her arms back down, not letting go of her wrists, though. He stared intensely at her.

"There's something I need to know" he said seriously. Sakura nodded slowly, glancing down at her hands and then looking at him again.

"Ok…what is it?"

"It's…about…uh….Sakura, why did you….? Argh! I don't know how to say it! I don't understand what's happening to me!" he exclaimed suddenly, letting go off her wrists to grasp his head as if he was being overwhelmed by a terrible headache. Sakura was immediately scandalized by this.

"Oh my god, Syaoran! Are you ok? Please, tell me what's wrong!"

"It's…IT'S HIM! HE'S WHAT'S WRONG! DAMN HIM!" he exploded suddenly, turning around and falling backwards on his ass, sitting on the front stairs. Sakura stared blankly at him for a while before deciding to sit next to him too.

"Him?" she asked, although she kinda knew the answer. She just wanted him to say it. Syaoran sighed and glanced at his feet, blushing slightly.

"That Yukito guy…" he finally admitted. Sakura grinned.

"I can't believe it…Li Syaoran is jealous?" she asked with a slightly amused tone in her voice. Immediately after that, Syaoran's head shot upwards and his gaze fixated upon her with a raised eyebrow, looking highly offended by her previous comment.

_**What the…?!**_

"NO, I'M NOT!" he demanded. Sakura giggled and hugged him, wrapping her arms around his neck, this time being allowed to do so.

"It's alright, it happens to everyone, I guess" she said, kissing him lightly on the lips. Syaoran still had his eyes wide open and was staring at her in complete and utter shock, as if she had just spoken in a language he didn't know she could before.

"Sakura, I'm NOT jealous"

"Then why are you so rattled up about Yukito-san?"

"Because of the way you looked at him, that's why!"

"In my country, they call that JEALOUSY!"

"SAKURA!"

"Oh, stop being a baby" Sakura said, pushing him lightly and playfully

"Whatever…" replied Syaoran, visibly upset at Sakura's comments. Sakura hugged him again and kissed him once more, smiling sweetly at him.

"Come on Syaoran…he's just Touya's best friend. You can trust me on that" she said with a small wink. Syaoran eyed her with a raised eyebrow.

"He's your friend too, right?"

"Well yeah, but that's just natural, he has been around for so long"

"Yeah, I guess…"

_**Well, I guess I did over-react…**_

"I really would've wanted to know Professor Mizuki was coming, though" he added. Sakura giggled.

"Yeah, sorry, I forgot to tell you she was dating my brother"

"It took me by surprise"

"She's a very beautiful woman, I can't come to understand why you dislike her so much" Sakura commented, looking at him with that same confused expression that Syaoran loved to see in her. Why? Well…in his eyes, she looked way more innocent when in doubt.

_**And she wants to talk now? Hell no…**_

"Not as beautiful as you" he said, changing the subject and kissing her full on the lips. Sakura gasped into his mouth, taken aback as she was by his sudden approach and keeping in mind that his father and brother were in the living room, not far from the main entrance. Nevertheless…who can think straight with Li Syaoran kissing you passionately? Sakura sure isn't an exception on that.

She found herself suddenly pouring into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and tilting her head to the side, seeking a more comfortable position. He suddenly lowered his hands to her hips and pulled her towards him, making her open her eyes suddenly and blush madly.

She had never been THAT close to him. She had noticed recently that Syaoran's kisses had lost some of the innocence they had at the beginning of their relationship. They had been dating for three months now and they seemed to be getting more comfortable with each other…which sometimes scared her a little bit.

Still, she knew she could always trust Syaoran…

Just when she was getting used to it, Syaoran suddenly pulled back. His abrupt movement startled her, making her gasp for air.

_**Wait a minute…, some time ago, Daidouji mentioned Sakura fancied an older guy… Tsukishirou is older than Sakura, isn't he? And their relationship… could it be that Daidouji was actually talking about him? Why didn't Sakura mention it? Unless…she still liked him…**_

"Wait a second…" he said, sounding as upset as he had been a few minutes before. Sakura stared at him bewildered.

"What is it?"

"That Yukito guy! He's that older guy Tomoyo told me about before, isn't he?" he said, sounding even more upset. Sakura's eyes widened.

"Oh my god…did she tell you we used to date?! How could she?! I told her not to!" she exclaimed, sounding just as upset herself. She freaked out, of course, when she noticed that Syaoran's face had changed from bad tempered to total shock.

_**I SO wish I hadn't heard that…**_

"Wait…you two dated?" he asked, not really wanting to know the answered. Sakura swallowed loudly and then glanced at her feet.

"She…s-she hadn't told you that, had she?"

"YOU DATED HIM?!" he complained. Sakura flinched at his tone.

"Syaoran, it was a long time ago…"

"HOW LONG?!" he demanded. Sakura couldn't bring herself to look at him in the face.

"Uh…like…two years?"

"Jeez…" he muttered, passing a hand through his hair in his frustration, turning his back on Sakura. She was on the verge of tears.

"Syaoran, I hadn't even met you…"

"That's not the point! You were hiding it from me! And besides, it's so obvious you still have feelings for him!" he blurted out as he turned to face her once more. Now, it was Sakura's turn to feel insulted.

"Wait, what?!"

"Do you think I can't see through your sweet behavior towards that guy?! You obviously still have feelings for him! Maybe even he still has feelings for you! Why are you even with me?!" he yelled. Sakura frowned.

"I can't believe you're saying that…how can you doubt that? I love you! I told you I loved you!"

"And Tsukishirou?! Do you love him too?!"

"Syaoran…please, stop this…"

"You said Hideki would be your first real date! Why did you lie to me even then?!"

"Because when I used to go out with Yukito, I was fourteen! That wasn't really dating, I never even kissed him!"

"OH, NOW I FEEL BETTER!"

"Well, you should!" she responded, tears starting to form in her eyes, making Syaoran realize he had done wrong by yelling at her. But now it was to late "I don't know what's going on, Syaoran! Why you're doing this to me is beyond my understanding! Don't you trust me? Has everything you've said to me up to now been a lie?! Maybe I'm the one that shouldn't trust you!" she yelled, her face starting to flood with all of her sadness and disapproval. Syaoran looked ashamed of himself now.

_**She's right…what is happening to me? Was I really that overwhelmed by my own jealousy? I DO trust her! What am I doing?**_

"Sakura…I…" he started, raising a hand to reach out for her. It hurt him to see her like that, trembling and crying, covering her face with her delicate hands "I'm really, sorry, I don't--"

"Go away" she whispered. Syaoran was taken aback by this.

"No, wait, Sakura…I need to make this right, I--"

"Please, go!" she pleaded, this time a little louder. Syaoran flinched.

"Sakura, please…"

"Go!" she repeated, pushing his hand away from her "Leave me alone, just leave, please!" she stated once more, going back inside her house and closing the door noisily behind her. Syaoran stood there for a moment, dumbfound, before slowly turning around and starting to walk away from the place.

_**How did this happen? How the hell did this even happen?! **_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

"I'm sorry but I can't be more supportive than that. You are an idiot" Tomoyo said in a harsh tone, solemnly taking another sip of her soda. Syaoran was sitting across the breakfast table, staring at its surface ashamed, leaning against it and lowering his face a little. He had invited Tomoyo over because he needed to talk to someone, but clearly Tomoyo wasn't helping a lot.

_**As annoying as this seems, I need Daidouji's advice. She knows Sakura better than anyone… and I want her back, damn it! I haven't spoken with my girlfriend in two days, that's just stupid! I don't even know if she's my girlfriend still and that freaks me out!**_

"I know that already" he growled. Tomoyo shrugged.

"That just proves you are" she replied sharply "And I still don't know what you want from me"

"I don't want anything from you" he said almost in a whisper "only understanding"

"What do you want me to understand?" Tomoyo asked, just as cold-heartedly as the first time. This exasperated Syaoran, and made him slam his hands against the table surface, which startled Tomoyo greatly. She slightly jumped on the chair before recovering her composure.

"I LOVE HER!" he exclaimed. Tomoyo sighed.

_**Jeez, woman! Just shut up and help me out here!**_

"Syaoran, you're making too big a deal out of this" she said, finally smiling at him, returning to the Tomoyo he knew she was. Syaoran stared at her with eyes wide open.

"What?"

"Just accept you were jealous"

"I WAS NOT!"

_**THE NERVE OF THIS WOMAN!**_

"Then I can't help you"

_**WHAT?!**_

"Daidouji! I can't do this alone!" he exclaimed, passing a hand through his hair. Tomoyo sighed.

"Syaoran, jealousy is a normal reaction. You don't have to be ashamed of it. You just need to accept your mistake! If you don't, you'll never be able to do anything about it"

"But I'm not jealous!" he growled. Tomoyo, looking slightly annoyed, finally got up from the table.

"Well, I can see why you would think you're not jealous" she slowly responded, making Syaoran flinch at the scolding sound of her voice "Your ego is so big, its shadow must make your jealousy almost invisible!" she said, and with that, turned around to leave, slamming the door behind her. Syaoran slammed his forehead against the table surface.

_**Maybe she's right. I'm an idio**__**t.**_

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Having just changed into her pajamas, Sakura was sitting at her desk, filling out her diary. She could do so calmly since Kero had fallen asleep a while ago, snoring peacefully on the drawer beside her. She giggled at the sight of the little sleeping guardian and then glanced back at the notebook in front of her.

She didn't usually do that… write on her diary. In fact, she only kept that thing for estrange events, unusual occasions, special accomplishments… and, well, heart-breaking situations. She sometimes felt that she needed to write what was going on with her…and this was one of those times.

Glancing once at a picture frame on her desk (with a picture of a very familiar and happy-looking couple) she began writing…

_July 3rd, 2007_

_Today I have something to think about, and that's the reason I'm making another entry. The last one was the day after Syaoran and I first kissed. And the one before that was of the time I realized I was in love with him. And the one before that… well, does it even matter? I think there's just one possible conclusion to all of this: Syaoran has become a very important part of my life. So important that here I am now, suffering over one senseless discussion I had with him just a couple of days ago. What about? The oldest issue of all times: Jealousy._

_Not only is he jealous of Yukito-san. He's also so egotistical that he refuses to admit he's making a mistake! I hate men when they do that. They think they're so perfect… when the truth is they listen to us more than they want to admit they do. Whatever… it's not like I've had a thousand boyfriends before, anyways. Syaoran's my first. _

_I wonder if I'm still his girlfriend. He's probably just getting over me this very moment. I hate school vacations sometimes. If we were in school period, I would definitely have to see him tomorrow. But since we're off, he doesn't have the obligation to meet with me. _

_I wish I knew what he's doing right now. I want to call him… but HE should call ME! He's the one who's wrong, not me! If I call him now, it'll be like accepting he's not mistaken and I can't do that! I definitely can't! Tomoyo's right, I should not rush into things…_

…_but I love him so much…_

_That bastard!_

—**TOK—**

Sakura was startled by the sudden noise on the window and accidentally dropped her pen. It had sounded like something hitting on the glass of the window.

"That's weird" she muttered. After glancing quickly to check that Kero was still asleep, she got up from her chair and slowly approached towards the window. Another similar sound came as she reached it, and this time she could make out what it had been.

—**TOK—**

A stone. A small pebble, to be more precise. Someone was throwing pebbles at her window. And, as soon as she managed to look out the window, she discovered who it was.

Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him.

It was Syaoran. He apparently had been trying to call her attention. When he noticed she was looking down at him, he dropped the pebble he had been meaning to throw next and smiled at her.

Sakura was honestly impressed. He was wearing a dark green dress shirt and black dress pants, shinny black shoes and a black tie. As a whole, he looked terribly handsome. And, as if that wasn't enough, he was holding a bouquet of roses.

Sakura opened the window.

"Syaoran! What are you doing here? It's two o'clock in the morning!" she demanded. Syaoran was smiling like a fool.

"Did I wake you?"

"No…I was…busy" she replied "But you can wake my brother and you're not gonna like that" she warned. Syaoran chuckled.

"Look… I don't really care. I needed to see you, I**—**" Syaoran's romantic speech was abruptly interrupted by something totally unexpected…

…the ground started shaking.

"AAAAAAAH!" Sakura screamed in shock. Syaoran looked at her with a worried expression on his face.

"Sakura! It's a Clow Card!" he yelled. Sakura then opened her window wider and put her foot on the frame. Syaoran looked scandalized "What the hell are you doing?!"

"You better catch me!" she yelled back just before jumping out the window. Syaoran ran forward and managed to catch her in his arms just in time. The earthquake had momentarily stopped, but Syaoran felt that time had stopped as well as he and Sakura stared into each other's eyes intensely. He noticed she was wearing her pajama, which he had never seen her wearing. They consisted in a sleeveless pink shirt and dark pink pants with flowery patterns. Her slippers were pink as well, and the whole outfit made her look so cute Syaoran wanted to just kiss her and not stop during the following couple of hours. Still, he knew they had important matters to attend before something like that could happen. He slowly put her down on the ground. Sakura stared at him for a moment, which made him kinda uncomfortable.

"Uh…I'm sorry, I dropped the flowers" he said sheepishly. Sakura looked sideways and saw the bouquet of roses lying on the ground, loose petals and leaves spreading around it. She was about to say something about that when Kero came flying down from her room.

"Sakura! Did you feel that! A Clow Card is near! The last one!" the little guardian said. Sakura nodded.

"I know" she said, getting a hold of the magical key that hung from her neck "Let's get going"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

After a few minutes of running through the empty night streets, Syaoran and Sakura, along with Kero, finally reached Tsukimine Temple, where the presence of the Clow Card was stronger. The earthquakes had gotten stronger and sometimes it was hard to keep standing. Sakura was ready with her staff in hand, as well as Syaoran, who had his sword ready for battle. They looked rather weird together, since Syaoran was all dressed up and Sakura had been forced to go out in her pajamas.

"It is here, right?" Syaoran asked. Sakura nodded.

"The presence of the Clow Card is really strong here. I can't be mistaken" she said, narrowing her eyes towards the entrance. Syaoran stared at her for a moment and then smiled sweetly at her. Sakura noticed that and stared back at him with confusion "What is it?"

"Nothing, it's just…I hadn't realized how strong your magical powers had gotten" he commented. Sakura blushed and looked away.

"Thank you" she said simply. Suddenly, another earthquake started shaking the ground.

"Sakura! We must hurry!" Kero reminded. At the sound of this, Sakura and Syaoran ran inside the temple. They would've kept going if it wasn't for a sudden event that forced them to part: The ground started to crack apart. Huge mountains of rock started forming around them, rising from the ground at an incredible speed. Between Sakura and Syaoran, a long and wide crack on the ground had formed.

"Sakura!" Syaoran exclaimed worried, stretching a hand towards her. Sakura tried to reach it with her own but they were to far away now.

"Syaoran!" she exclaimed, suddenly losing her balance and falling forward into the hole created by the crack on the ground. Fortunately, Syaoran instantly jumped forward and managed to get a hold of her wrist. Now Sakura hung dangerously, still holding on firmly to her staff.

"Sakura, quick! Use The Fly!" Syaoran suggested. Sakura nodded.

"FLY!!!" she yelled. In an instant, her staff had grown wings and she managed to get on top of it and fly out of the hole, landing gently next to Syaoran. Once she was there, she stretched a hand towards him. Syaoran raised an eyebrow.

"Uh?"

"Come on, Syaoran. You're not gonna let me do it alone, are you?" she asked, a small grin forming on her lips. Syaoran sighed and then smiled back.

"Of course not" he said, mounting on the staff right behind her.

Soon, they were flying together. Syaoran felt a now-not-unusual feeling of warmth as he held on to Sakura's waist. He blushed slightly as he noticed it, but shook it off since he knew it wasn't the time for something like that.

_**Calm down, Li Syaoran! Now's not the time to get all heated up! There are important matters that need to be solved. And besides, I still need to settle things between Sakura and me...**_

Sakura guided her staff fiercely through the air, avoiding every deadly mountain of rock that shot up against them. She was starting to feel a little desperate, as no ideas on how to solve their present situation came to her mind.

"Sakura! We need a solution for this, quick!" Kero said as he approached them flying "The whole city can be destroyed!"

"I know that! I'm thinking!" she replied. Syaoran heard her fearful tone of voice and started to worry. He then looked down and noticed something that greatly called his attention...

''Sakura! Look!" he called, pointing at a certain spot on the ground. Sakura looked down and gasped.

''Professor Mizuki! Yukito! What are they doing here?!" she exclaimed as soon as she spotted them. Yukito seemed confused, looking around him to all that was happening. On the other hand, Professor Mizuki was looking straight up at them, smiling sweetly as if seeing a couple of teenagers flying through the sky was the most normal event.

"Have you noticed? How are they keeping themselves safe?" Syaoran asked intrigued. It was just then that Sakura noticed this: the spot where Kahou and Yukito were standing was completely clean. Nothing was happening there! They were completely safe from The Earth... but how come?

Still, she then noticed something far more relevant at the moment...

"Syaoran, look! Over there!" she pointed out. He looked over at what she wanted him to see... it was a small park. But most importantly...

"Trees... the trees are completely unaffected... that's right! Sakura, do you understand that?" Syaoran asked. Sakura nodded.

''I need a place to land!''

"Over there!"

''Right! Hang on!'' following Syaoran's instructions, Sakura led her staff and landed on a building roof nearby. Both teens got off and Sakura reached inside her pocket for a Clow Card. She then looked up at Syaoran, seeking some reassurance. The boy just smiled sweetly at her and nodded, silently agreeing, knowing full well what she wanted to do. It was all the support she needed.

And so, without another moment's hesitation, she threw the card to the front.

''Clow Card! Neutralize the powers of The Earth! Wood!'' she yelled, touching it with the tip of her staff.

Obedient to her call, The Wood shot diligently against The Earth, stopping the earthquakes and bringing everything back to normal. The true form of The Earth was then revealed, entangled in the weed created by The Wood.

''Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!'' Sakura yelled, turning it back into a card. After everything was over, the card flew right into her hands. Kero cheered.

"That was great, Sakura! Good job!" the little guardian said. Sakura was about to reply when, suddenly, little Kero started glowing. Remembering the incident after the capturing of The Firey, Sakura stepped away from Kero. Syaoran, who was right behind her, reacted out of instinct and held her in his arms as she stepped closer to him. And, while holding on to each other, they watched closely as Kero's wings grew and wrapped around him. Clow's magical emblem appeared behind him and then the light got so bright that both teenagers had to close their eyes...

After all the light had disappeared, Syaoran and Sakura finally were able to look...

"Kero?"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

FINALLY DONE!!! Please review. But no scolding, guys! I do what I can!


	17. Yue's test

I KNOOOOOOOOWW!! THIS TOOK AGES!! I'm so sorry, people, I have been very busy with college, and I had to take a part-time job. Thank goodness that's over. The job, I mean. And now I'll have more spare time.

Oh well, let me answer the reviews…

**Rubbish** – I'm soooo sorry for the delay!! But you know, school stuff and everything. I hope it was worth the wait, though. I'll try to update sooner this time.

**Pipi-chan** – Este capitulo no creo que tenga todo ese merito pero es necesario que pase lo del juicio XD

**Lhaine07 **– I'm trying to maintain a cliffhanger but I couldn't update as soon as I would've wanted to. Still, I think now I'll be able to update as frequently as before! Yeah, it's never only Syaoran's fault, it's a couple after all, both of them play their parts x3

**Saphirablossom **– Your Spanish isn't that bad! Just a couple of details, but I think it's quite good! Oh, yeah, there's a new stage of Syaoran's and Sakura's relationship coming up. I'll update sooner this time, promise!

**Destiny-hope-4ever** – Jejejeje, tus suposiciones son correctas, espera y versa. Por cierto, actualizare mas pronto esta vez.

**SakuraJade** – I like your reviews, you always give good criticism. Sorry for the lack of updates, that'll change, I promise! XD

**Bluestarmanga **– Thanks for the understanding, I will be faster with the update next time!

**AngelEmCuti** – Sorry for not updating soon, I will now!

**StarAngel02** – Thank you! And sorry for the delay!

**Lady Charlotte of Belgium** – Oh my god so many comments from you to answer! Thanks for all of them! Well, uhm, let's see…Syaoran is spelled Syaoran, but I'm not sure about Kero. And what else? Oh yeah, they are meant to be out of character XD It's my story. And…oh! I'm so glad you liked the scene when Syaoran falls! One of my favorites! And yeah, they all sound a little American but hey, I'm not very familiarized with Japan after all, I do what I can XD Thanks again! I won't take that long to update now!

**Suspended on silver wings** – Yeah, I couldn't make that part of hsm last too long because I know not everyone likes it XD I'm sorry for the delay, I'll try to improve next time x3

**Vixen's Shadow** – Sorry for taking even longer than last time to update, I'm gonna be faster next time! Promise!

**Sa-chann** – Yeah, Tomoyo is a little more evil than most think, but I have always thought it would be a more interesting Tomoyo XD So I'm trying that. And no, I'm not against yaoi, but I don't like writing about it. So there'll definitely not be any TouyaYuki, sorry. And sorry for taking so long with the update!

**Gero** – Coso, jejejeje, ya ves, te la vives rodeado de quejas. Que bueno que te este gustando y sorry, ya te he contado mis traumas, ya ves que no he tenido mucho tiempo para actualizar. Pero ahora son vacaciones felizmente!!

**Animeboylover **– Sorry for making you wait so long! I promise I'll try to be faster from now on!

**Ichigo-tenshi** – Sooooorry!! I'm really sorry, I'm making my best! I'll be faster now!

And now, back to the story…

**Chapter 17 – Yue's test**

"Kero?" Sakura asked, as the form of that amazing creature came into view. It was a big fierce-looking lion, with a ruby on his forehead and great white wings on his back. His yellow eyes were staring intensely at her, with a determined look on them.

_**Wow…he looks so…awesome…**_

"Yes. It's me, Sakura. This is my real form. This proves that you have successfully captured The Earthy, and by now, you have finally captured all of the Clow Cards" he said in his new, deep voice. Syaoran raised an eyebrow.

"How does all that fit into a tiny furball like the one that had been flying around before?" he asked, making the new Kero fall down anime-style. He quickly recovered his composure, though, an angry vein popping on the back of his head.

"What the hell do you mean by that, you brat?!" he complained, making Sakura giggle.

_**I guess, no matter what his form is, he will never get along with Syaoran.**_

"Well, at least I know you are the same Kero" she commented. Suddenly, she was aware of her current situation. Syaoran had been holding her in his arms for the past few minutes in between Kero's transformation and now. She blushed and stepped away.

_**Oh my god, when did this happen?!**_

"Oh…sorry" he apologized, blushing too. Sakura shook her head.

"It's ok…" she said.

_**Does this mean we're back together? But we still have to talk, right? I'm so confused!**__** I mean…he was there for me through all the card capturing situation of The Earthy and didn't say a thing about it… I wonder what he is thinking now…**_

For a moment, there was an awkward silence between them, and Kero just kept looking from one of them to the other, not really knowing what was going on. Fortunately for all of them, their silence didn't last long.

"Sakura!! Are you ok?! I came as soon as I noticed these earthquakes weren't normal! I was so worried about you!" Tomoyo said as she approached running, camera in hand. Sakura smiled at her.

"I'm fine, Tomoyo. I got the last card" she said as Tomoyo reached her. Tomoyo looked disappointed at this news.

"Oh no! I didn't get to tape you capturing the last card?! I can't believe it!" she exclaimed. Sakura sweat-dropped.

_**I knew she was going to react that way… Tomoyo will never change…**_

"Sorry, Tomoyo"

"Please! At least you have to wear the costume I designed for your last battle!"

_**What?! She's completely nuts XD**_

"But Tomoyo, the battle is over…"

"It doesn't matter! Just let me tape you with it, will you? Please? PLEASEEEE!!"

"Ok, ok, I'll do it" Sakura finally replied, rather nervously. Tomoyo cheered.

"Great! Let's go then! I also brought your Chinese robes, Li!" she said, now turning towards Syaoran. He was rather taken aback by the statement.

"Oh…ok" was all he could say for the moment. Sakura giggled.

_**Tomoyo really is something!**_

"Well, we should go to where Yukito and professor Mizuki are" she commented. Tomoyo stared at her with surprise.

"They are here?"

"Yes, and I also don't know why, but I think we have to find out"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I'm glad you're ok, little Sakura" said professor Mizuki, as they approached to were she and Yukito were standing. Sakura was already wearing a pink-with-yellow outfit that made her look like a really pretty magician, and Syaoran was wearing his green chinese combat robes, carrying his sword on the back. Kero was hiding behind the entrance of the Tsukimine Temple, and Tomoyo had her camera on and was taping every move they made.

_**Sometimes, she makes me nervous… Having a camera on you is not always easy. Still... what really intrigues me right now is professor Mizuki...**_

"Professor Mizuki…what are you doing here?" Sakura asked, not really knowing what to say. It was Yukito who answered, though.

"We were worried about you, of course. And we're glad you're ok" he said with a smile. Professor Mizuki nodded.

"Have you captured the last one?" she asked. Sakura was genuinely surprised by Kahou Mizuki's knowledge about the existence of the Clow Cards but, instead of asking about it, she simply nodded as a statement. Professor Mizuki smiled at her.

"And have you written your name on it?" she asked. Sakura gasped and look down at the card that was still in her hands.

"No…I haven't" she replied. Tomoyo handed her a pen, which Sakura took without thinking.

_**I guess I forgot, with everything that had been happening.**_

"Remember, Sakura! When you write your name on it, it will mean the end of your card capturing quest!" came Kero's voice from behind. Sakura was startled by this.

"Kero! Why did you come out of your hiding place?!" she exclaimed.

"It's ok, Sakura. I already met with Cerberus in a previous occasion" professor Muzuki assured. Sakura then looked at Yukito, but he was just looking back at her with an enigmatic smile. She decided to ignore it for the moment.

"Wait a minute!" Tomoyo said suddenly, before Sakura could write her name on the card. Everyone turned to look at her.

"What is it, Tomoyo?" Kero asked, somewhat concerned by Tomoyo's tone of voice.

"Well, I was wondering about this... who will get to be the truthful owner of the Clow Cards? I mean... let's not forget that Sakura doesn't have them all..." Tomoyo stated, reluctantly looking sideways at Syaoran, who looked sincerely surprised by this words. He hadn't thought about that...

"The final judgment is the definite way to choose the new Clow Master. It'll also determine which of them will become our new master" Kero explained. Sakura lowered her gaze to the ground.

_**Oh my god! I'll have to fight Syaoran for the Cards? I don't think this will be good for our relationship...**_

"No" Syaoran said suddenly. Everyone turned to look at him then.

"What are you trying to pull here, brat?! Of course it'll be like that, and Sakura is going to totally KICK YOUR ASS!!" Kero exclaimed, suddenly acting more like little stuffed-animal Kero. Syaoran glared at him for a moment before even bothering himself with an answer to that.

"I didn't mean it like that" he explained, reaching into his left pocket and pulling out the Clow Cards that were currently in his possession. He then stared for a moment at them and then walked towards Sakura, his gaze on her completely determined.

"Syaoran?" she asked, somewhat confused and intimidated by his gaze. Syaoran sighed and stretched his hand forward towards her, holding the Clow Cards in front of her to see.

"I meant I'm not going to compete against you" he finally confessed staring intensely at her. Tomoyo, Sakura and Kero gasped at this, not ever expecting something like that from Syaoran. Professor Mizuki just smiled, and Yukito did not even stir. His eyes were unreadable for the moment.

"WHAT?!" Kero exclaimed. Sakura took a step away from Syaoran, looking at him in disbelief.

"What are you talking about, Syaoran? You wanted this! You came all the way from China to become the Clow Master! What are you doing?" she asked, still not sure of what to think about the current situation. Syaoran simply shook his head.

"Sakura…I think I've told you about this before. When I first came here, I only thought about me and what would be best for me and me alone. But then I met you. You showed me that card capturing wasn't just a matter of becoming stronger… but also of protecting others" he said, taking a hold of Sakura's hand and placing the cards on her palm "You showed me what that was like. You always have other's best interests at heart… and you don't just think about the cards as power instruments but also as your friends. And that is a power that is still beyond anything I can achieve"

"Syaoran, don't say that…"

"But it's true, Sakura! You are the only one that truly loves these cards, you love them so much! You deserve to be their master! They would never be as comfortable with me… You are the only one that deserves to undergo the final judgment, not me. And you will need these cards for that" he said, letting Sakura's hand go, leaving all of his Clow Cards with her. Sakura kept staring at the cards and then at him, not knowing how to react to the situation. Tomoyo giggled, interrupting the silence and making them both turn towards the lens of her camera.

"It amazes me, Li. You've grown so much in so little amount of time" she explained. Syaoran chuckled, looking at Sakura once again.

"I know. I've changed. But I've changed for the better. And it's all because of this beautiful woman that suddenly popped into my life" he said, smiling at Sakura with that oh so charming smile of his. Sakura felt her legs weaken under that gaze.

_**He never fails to make that kind of impression on me…that Syaoran…**_

"How romantic!!" Tomoyo exclaimed. Kero grunted.

_**Indeed…**_

"Uh….hellooooooo?! We're here too, you know?!"

_**Yeah, whatever Kero. You never know your timing…**_

"It's not polite to interrupt something like that" professor Mizuki pointed out. Both, Sakura and Syaoran, turned crimson at the sound of that statement, making Tomoyo giggle even more, still avidly tapping everything with her video camera. Kero turned serious once again, looking over at Sakura.

"Sakura, this is really not the time for that! You must sign the last card" Kero said, a little exasperated. Syaoran nodded.

"Sign the other ones too. It'll be no good if you take cards signed by me" he pointed out. Sakura smiled at him.

"Thanks, Syaoran" she said, kissing him lightly on the cheek. Syaoran turned deep red all over her face, as he heard Tomoyo's giggle. Sakura just smiled at him and winked, and then proceeded to sign the cards with her name. Tomoyo then turned towards Kero.

"Say…why are you in such a hurry with the signing of the cards? Is something bad going to happen?" she asked with a hint of concern in her voice. Kero lowered his gaze.

"Sakura has captured all of the cards…so it is time to decide whether she is worthy of them or not"

"And who gets to decide that?" she asked, curiously. Kero turned towards professor Mizuki, who gently smiled at Tomoyo.

"I guess she can tell you about it" Kero said. Professor Mizuki giggled.

"I don't know why he would say that…" she said.

"Are you involved in all of this, professor?" Tomoyo asked her directly. Professor Mizuki dedicated a mysterious smile to her in return.

"I need to give something really important to Sakura… in time" she said. There was no more time for words between them. Sakura had just signed the last of the cards, making it evident that the card capturing had been completed. Suddenly, cool air started blowing around them.

Sakura shivered. It had gotten considerably colder.

_**What's going on here?**_

She was about to hug herself when she felt his strong arms come around her from behind. She could feel his warm breath on her ear.

_**Syaoran…**_

"No matter what happens, I will be there with you, cheering you until the end" he whispered. Sakura blushed and nodded.

_**Then I will be able to conquer anything…if you are by my side…**_

Suddenly, something bigger caught their attention.

A light had started glowing near them…around Yukito.

"Tsukishirou-san? What's going on?" Tomoyo asked in concern. Sakura stared at what was happening, not believing it for a bit. The sign of Clow had appeared behind Yukito, and a pair of wings started to grow from his back. Once the wings had become big enough, they enveloped him, shinning even brighter than before.

"Yukito!" Sakura exclaimed. Syaoran tightened his grip around her.

"Sakura…I think that guy isn't human at all…" he said to her ear. Sakura gasped.

"What?" she managed to say, just as the light dissipated and a new being appeared. It looked nothing like Yukito. He was really tall indeed, like him, but he had really long, white hair, in contrast with the short silver hair her friend had. He had intense blue eyes and light skin, and wore a very elegant white and blue attire, his long white wings adorning his back. He had a cold gaze, again in contrast with Yukito's, which was always warm and friendly. Sakura felt a violent shiver go up her spine as he directed his glare straight at her.

"So we finally meet again…Yue" it was Kero who first spoke, startling Sakura.

"Yue?" she asked. Syaoran nodded, releasing her from his embrace.

"The Clow Cards had two guardians. The sun guardian, which Kero stands for, and the moon guardian…Yue…" he explained. Sakura stared in awe as the divine being approached her.

"I see you have captured the Clow Cards…" he said, in a voice that to Sakura sounded colder than his gaze "Do you think you're worthy of being their master, young girl?"

"Don't be so harsh on her, Yue. She's done everything she can, believe me, she has what it takes" Kero defended her. Yue looked at him briefly before turning back towards Sakura.

"You didn't even capture the cards all by yourself. Why should I even bother in wasting my time with you" Yue said. Sakura stared down at the ground.

_**He's right…I didn't capture them all…**_

"Hey! Don't talk that way! You don't even know Sakura, stop talking like she's nothing! She's braver than you allow yourself to see!" Syaoran yelled, stepping in front of Sakura and glaring violently at Yue. Sakura gasped, staring at the back of the boy that was defending her with all his might.

_**Syaoran…**_

"Who the hell are you?" Yue asked. Syaoran stood straight.

"My name is Li Syaoran. I'm the one that helped her capture the cards"

"Then why are you just standing for her? Don't you want to be master of the Clow Cards?"

"That's none of your business" Syaoran simply replied. Yue looked at him for a while, and then looked back at Kero.

"I will not allow the final judgment to turn into some circus side show, Cerberus!"

"That's not what it is to happen, Yue! You must judge Sakura! Give her a chance! Who knows? You might even like her!" Kero complained. Yue glared at him, and then turned his glare back at Sakura, who winced under his gaze and stepped back slightly.

"I doubt that" Yue said "But anyways…I guess I'll judge her then. Are you ready to prove what you're worth?" he said, referring to Sakura. The girl nodded and frowned.

"I am" she replied simply. Yue nodded.

"Very well. Let the final judgment begin!" he exclaimed. Sakura suddenly started to feel dizzy, and her vision got blurry. She couldn't hear everything around her very well, and before she completely fell into unconsciousness, she heard one last cry of concern coming from Syaoran, like if it was coming from very far away…

"SAKURAAAAAAAA!!"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

When Sakura opened her eyes, she was some place else….alone….

She recognized the scenery from the recurrent dream she'd had in the past. The only difference was that she was alone. No Kero. No Syaoran. No Professor Mizuki. She was all by herself standing there on the roof of a tall building, staring directly at the great Tower of Tokyo.

_**What happened? How did I get here? I feel so confused…it's almost as if I hadn't really woken up…it all feels so…surreal….**_

Just then, she saw him.

It was Yue. He was standing there in front of her, on Tokyo Tower. He was standing in that same self-confident posture, staring at her with his cold blue eyes like she was nothing. Sakura winced at this. Yue looked so tough…it was hard to believe he and Yukito were the same person…

_**I wonder if I'll ever be good enough for Yue. I don't think he wants me as the Clow Master… **_

"What are you doing, just standing there?! Come!" she heard him scold her inside her mind, startling her the moment he did. Suddenly, her eyes turned gray and she was no longer capable of controlling her own actions. With a swift movement of Yue's hand, Sakura was under his control.

"…Jump…" she whispered, taking out that card and using its powers to jump her way towards Tokyo Tower. Yue just stood there waiting for her, arms crossed in front of his chest and the same determined look fixated on his eyes as she approached. It didn't take Sakura very long to reach him, and when she did, she was again her own self. She felt even more confused, though, again not knowing what had happened and how she had moved once more from place to place. Yue did not bother himself to explain. He just glared at her and sighed.

"I hope you don't prove to be just a waist of my time" he rudely stated. Sakura now glared back at him in response.

"Any other important appointments you need to attend to?" she sarcastically replied. Yue slightly growled, visibly disturbed by her boldness.

"You won't have such a sense of humor once I'm done with you! Let's get this over with!"

"Fine with me!"

"Then let the final judgment begin!" Yue exclaimed, as he started to fly up into the sky. Sakura gasped at this.

"Wait! You haven't told me what I'm supposed to do!" she yelled. Yue simply smirked at this.

"You have to defeat me in battle! Using the Clow Cards, of course! If you can!" he exclaimed, just seconds before his first attack of what seemed like a letal rain of ice beaks. Sakura, who had no time to react, barely got the chance to roll to one side to avoid getting hit.

_**Jeez, that was fast! What's with this guy? I can't believe he and Yukito are the same person! But he won't catch me of guard again!**_

"Fly!" Sakura yelled as she activated the card and flew off on her staff after Yue. The guardian sent her more attacks but she managed to evade them.

_**Let's see what you do about this!**_

"Wind! Capture Yue!" she commanded, throwing the power of The Windy against the guardian. To her surprise, though, the attack didn't affect him.

_**What the hell--?!**_

"I guess you don't know anything" Yue said in an arrogant tone "The Wind is one of my allies, it won't attack me"

"WOOD!!" yelled Sakura now, a little more desperate than the first time. Yue sighed.

"You just don't get it, do you? I'll make you understand it, then…" he said coldly, and with a swift movement of his hand, he averted the branches and made them attack a very confused Sakura, who could not duck before it happened. Soon, she was all wrapped up in branches, feeling helpless and trying at all costs to break free by her own strength. But of course it was useless.

_**Damn…what will I do now? ...Help me! Someone!**_

"I knew you didn't have the strength" Yue said harshly. Sakura glared at him.

"Please! Please hear me out! I really want to become the Clow Mistress! Let me prove it to you!"

"Isn't that what you were supposed to do?"

"Please…how can I possibly beat you if you control all the cards?!"

"You lost! That's all that counts now!" Yue said coldly, his expression impossible to read "And, as way of punishment, a great tragedy will befall this world" he finished. Sakura gasped.

"A great tragedy? What are you talking about?"

"The cards developed a great feeling towards the person that captured them and returned them to their original form. But this person was unable to prove herself worthy of their power. Their great sadness of being disappointed can only be erased by erasing this very feeling. That feeling towards the most special person"

"The most…special…person?" Sakura said, chills running down her back. Yue nodded.

"This feeling will be erased, so that the cards won't suffer from the loss. It will be erased from them…and from all the people that were involved with them"

"WHAT?!" Sakura screamed. Yue narrowed his eyes at her.

"Every person involved with the cards will lose… that feeling towards the most special person in their lives"

"NOOO!!" Sakura cried, fighting hopelessly against the branches that restrained her body.

_**No…no I can't… I can't let this happen… everyone… Tomoyo… Syaoran… Yukito… Professor Mizuki… my brother Touya… they will lose it! That feeling… and myself… my love for…**_

Suddenly, everything turned black…

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"GOOD MORNING!" Sakura exclaimed as she went into the classroom as everyday. Chiharu walked towards her and smiled.

"Good morning, Sakura. How are you today?"

"I'm fine. Oh, hey, Tomoyo!" Sakura said as she saw her friend. Tomoyo turned towards her and smiled.

"Oh, hi" she simply said, and then turned back to her stuff. Sakura felt something was wrong…but still, she went to sit at her desk.

The day went by normally…and still, she felt something was missing. She turned back and stared longingly at the desk behind her. Somehow, finding it empty wasn't what she was expecting. Had someone been sitting there before?

At the end of the day, Tomoyo left without her. She was left alone, with a great emptiness inside her. With another look at that desk behind her, she left.

Chiharu hadn't talked to Yamazaki… Tomoyo wasn't talking to her… where they supposed to do so?

Was she supposed to talk to someone?

She started running through Penguin Park… and she tripped, falling face first on the ground.

Tears started falling from her eyes. She wasn't sure why she was so sad… what was happening to her?

She felt so alone!

She got up quickly and started running, forgetting about her fall. She ran… and ran… where was she going?

Suddenly, she knew where she was going.

It was him! She needed to see him! He wasn't just a dream, he existed!

In front of her appeared a silhouette. It was a tall boy. A brown haired boy. He turned around and smiled.

"Sakura…"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Sakura screamed, her head pounding with that horrible vision she had about the tragedy. Yue narrowed his eyes.

"It's time for you to give up"

Suddenly, a ringing was heard.

Sakura fell to the floor.

_**What?...**_

"The branches…I'm free?! How did this happen?" Sakura wondered out loud.

"It's your second chance" said a voice behind her. She got up to her feet in a jump and came face to face with Professor Mizuki, who was staring at her with her usual smile.

"Professor Mizuki! What are you doing here?!" Sakura asked confused.

"I was sent here to give you a second chance, because Clow trusts you a lot. Nevertheless…you must keep in mind you will only be saved this once. Do you understand that, dear Sakura?" she asked with a little more seriousness, but still maintaining her comforting smile. Sakura smiled back, now filled with determination.

"YES! I will not fail this time! For the sake of the Cards…and everyone else!"

"You should just give it up already" Yue added. Sakura turned back to face him once more.

"NEVER!!" she exclaimed "WIND!!" she yelled almost immediately as she got a hold of her magic staff and threw a wind attack at Yue. Yue just stared at her and chuckled.

"The Wind is also my ally. I don't know what you—ARGH!" Yue's speech was stopped as a bubble of wind enclosed him, restraining him from any further action. He looked sincerely shocked by this "What's happening?! The wind…it's my ally!"

_**Looks like you didn't have everything figured out, Yue.**_

"But Wind is also my friend!" Sakura exclaimed, as the bubble of wind brought Yue closer to Sakura. Soon, they were face to face. Or at least in front of each other, being face to face would be a little difficult considering the difference of their heights.

"I'll never acknowledge you as my master!" Yue threatened. Sakura stared at him with a sincere smile.

"That's not what I want. I just told you…Wind is my friend. I just want to be friends with you too, Yue. You're not a bad person, and I don't hold a grudge against you for anything that has happened. In fact… I think this is all just because you really loved Clow" she told him. Yue gasped and stared at her in awe, as if his greatest secret had been revealed. Sakura was still smiling.

"Please Yue" she insisted "Let me be your friend. I know I will never be Clow. But I can try being someone worthy of your presence" she finished. Yue stared at her for a few moments. Sakura felt like it was an eternity worth of time.

The wind around Yue disappeared and he stood up, staring at Sakura with an emotion that she thought hadn't been there before. He then looked up.

"You have passed the test"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Syaoran, stop! You're making me nervous!" Tomoyo complained, as she glared at the boy who had been pacing back and forth during a long time now. Kero was just surprised that he hadn't made a hole on the floor.

Syaoran stopped for a moment and stared at her in disbelief.

"I'M making you nervous?! ME?! Isn't the fact that Sakura's over there fighting against that Yue already making you nervous enough?!"

"Of course it is! But we won't fix anything by pacing around, you're just stressing yourself far too much!"

"I can't stop myself!"

"Just let him be, Tomoyo, this fighting is far more stressful than his pacing around" Kero observed. After that, there was silence between them once again. Syaoran continued to pace around and Tomoyo decided to face some other way so she couldn't see him do it. Kero kept wondering how Sakura would be doing…but still…something inside him told him things would be just fine…

"OH LOOK!!" Tomoyo yelled suddenly. Syaoran and Kero looked up to where her gaze was leading them. It was her. Sakura came flying towards them on her winged staff, with Yue not far behind. She landed smoothly in front of the three of them, her staff returning to its normal form and to her hands. Yue landed on his feet, arms crossed and gaze as cold as ever.

Then, she smiled.

"I did it…" she said, blushing slightly. Tomoyo cheered and ran towards her, hugging her friendly. She then pulled back and turned on her camera.

"I KNEW IT! I knew you would do it, Sakura!" she said. Sakura sweatdropped.

_**Can't she help herself just this once?? I guess not…but that's Tomoyo after all…**_

"Nice work, Sakura! I knew you'd do it" Kero said with a smile. Sakura nodded.

"Thanks, Kero"

"Sakura…" Sakura jumped as she heard her name mentioned with that voice…the one voice that could make her react like that…

"Syaoran…" she responded, feeling her face go red. She was suddenly aware of how handsome he looked in his green fighting robes, but she didn't have time to react in some other way. Before she could say anything else, Syaoran had jumped towards her and was now holding her in his arms tightly.

"I'm so glad you're ok…I was so worried…" he whispered into her ear. Sakura blushed even more.

"You were worried about me?" Sakura asked with surprise in her voice. Syaoran pulled back a little to look at her in the eyes, dedicating one of his very charming smiles.

"Am I not supposed to worry about the woman I love?" he asked.

"I don't know…do you still love me?"

"Don't be silly" he whispered, just before crashing his mouth against hers in what could only be described as a hungry kiss. He felt like that, at least. He was hungry for her, and being apart from her had only made that even more evident inside of him.

"Oh well, I guess it can't be helped, right? Those two…" Kero said in resignation. Tomoyo giggled.

"They're so right for each other! I think everything is going to be just fine from now on" she answered, staring at the couple with dreamy eyes.

…little did she now that, soon, she would be proven wrong.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

That's all!! I'll try not to be that late with the next one, sorry guys!!


	18. An english boy in Japan

I know it's taking me forever to update, but my inspiration isn't very good these days and I don't want to upload crap…I'm doing my best, seriously…

Anyways…the reviews

**Rubbish **– Thanks :) I'll keep up!

**Kuromii-hime** – Yeah, I do have a dA account xD under the same name. With a huge SxS doujinshi XD So it's sort of easy to identify me over there too. Sorry for the lack of updates, I do my best!

**Gero** – Preciosa? Que galan te escuchaste, jajajaja. Pues hago lo que puedo, aunque ultimamente no ando inspirada, bu. A ver que sale

**AngelEmCuti **– Thanks!

**Lhaine07** – I'll try to fit more romance into the story, I'm still working on the general plot XD

**Whitewave16** – I'll try to keep it up n.n

**Cheng** – I'm glad you're liking the story. And they're not that small…they are 17 after all XD I know they're not 20 or anything, but they are teenagers already. Old ones! XD

**Angie-ange** – I'm glad you liked that scene, I also love that song n.n

**StarAngel02** – Thanks for the understanding n.n I'll do my best!

**Destiny-hope-4ever** – Jejeje, si, ya veras lo que sucede con Eriol. Gracias por visitar mi deviantArt!! Me esfuerzo mucho ahí tambien!

**Mrs. Radcliffe 13** – I know I push it a little, but it's on purpose XD Lol, I hope you still like it!

**Shiki-chan** – Thanks!! I really appreciate that!!

**Ailee Felden** – Thanks for the advice, I'll look out for those!

**Animeboylover** – I hope the wait wasn't too long again! Thanks for the enthusiasm!

**Twilight Kisses** – Thanks!! That's good to know, I'm fond of this story too. I'll keep it up!

**Bluestarmanga** – You actually were the last one XD But not the least important, of course. Thanks for the review!

And now we can go back to the story!

**Chapter 1****8 – An english boy in Japan**

Summer vacations were over.

Bearing that awful truth in mind, Syaoran walked down the streets, carrying his briefcase and wearing his black and blue high school uniform. His hair, as always, looked messy, completing his style. He sighed, not looking forward to his first day of being back in the school classrooms.

He was looking forward to one thing, though. And just as he thought about this, she came roller skating down the street right towards him.

He loved the sight as a whole. Her hair shinning with the morning sunlight… her eyes sparkling with that emerald green… her skirt flapping with the wind… her black tie flying around… her big bright smile…

_**I love her…and I love being able to see her everyday…**_

"Good morning!" she exclaimed as she stopped in front of him. Syaoran smiled back at her.

"Morning" he replied. Sakura squealed and threw her arms around his neck, startling him a little "Sakura! What--?!"

"I'm just so happy I get to see you everyday again!" she said with enthusiasm, making Syaoran blush. He hugged her back and chuckled.

"I'm glad too"

"HOW CUUUUUUUUTE!!" both of them jumped away from each other as they heard Tomoyo's voice, turning to see where it came from. There she was, just a few steps away from them, tapping every detail with her video camera. Both teens turned a deep shade of red.

"Tomoyo…were you tapping?" Sakura asked shyly. Tomoyo nodded.

"Oh, Sakura! You look so cute!! I'm so sad because now that you have all the Clow Cards I don't get to tape you using your magic anymore!" her friend explained with great dismay in her expression. Sakura and Syaoran exchanged awkward looks at this.

_**Tomoyo will never change, I guess. She needs a boyfriend. Maybe that way she would stop stalking my girlfriend.**_

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Ok, everyone, please take your seats" professor Terada said as he entered the room. Tomoyo glanced at the dreamy stare Rika was giving him, not having known that Terada would be the class tutor that year "Welcome everyone, I hope you all enjoyed your summer vacations. Today, your last year of high school begins and we have lots of work to do, including your preparation for college admission exams" he continued, as everyone in the classroom listened intently.

Syaoran, Sakura and Tomoyo had taken the same seats as the year before, Syaoran being seated behind Sakura and Tomoyo besides her at the back right corner of the room. Syaoran leaned forward towards Sakura so he could talk to her.

"Is he trying to make us nervous?" he discreetly whispered to her ear. Sakura leaned back in her chair.

"I don't think so. But I would like to know what happened with Professor Mizuki" she replied in the same low tone.

As if he had heard them, professor Terada continued his beginning speech.

"In case any of you are wondering about your last teacher, I inform you that professor Mizuki had to leave to take a postgraduate in France, and that's why I'm back to being your class tutor" he explained. Tomoyo leaned towards Sakura now.

"Hey, Sakura! What happened to her relationship to your brother, then?" she asked in a whisper. Sakura shrugged.

"I have no idea! I didn't even know she had left"

"And now, before we start our daily activities, please allow me to introduce you to someone" professor Terada added "Come in" he said, staring at the classroom front entrance. The door slid open and in came a tall boy. Sakura analyzed him just as he entered, because there was something in him…something that immediately had called her attention. But she couldn't put a pin on it.

He was more or less as tall as Syaoran was, with pale skin and dark blue hair. His eyes were also a smooth tone of blue, with a very calm-looking gaze behind a pair of round glasses. He walked towards professor Terada and stood there patiently.

Professor Terada wrote his name on the blackboard.

"Today we receive a new student from England. His name is Eriol Hiragizawa, please welcome him among you" he stated. The new student smiled.

"My name is Eriol Hiragizawa, nice to meet you all" he said in a very honest and sweet voice. He then turned and, to her surprise, stared directly at Sakura. She blushed a little. His gaze was so overwhelming… and somehow, she felt like this wasn't the first time she had seen him…

Syaoran, on the other hand, couldn't have been more angry.

_**Hey, what is he staring at her like that for?! Turn somewhere else, you moron! She's taken!**_

"Well, you can take a seat now. There's an empty spot right besides Li, right back there" professor Terada said, pointing at the seat next to Syaoran. Syaoran seemed a little startled by this, but then again, it wasn't all that bad.

_**If he's sitting next to me I'll be able to keep an eye on him. There's something about him…**_

"Thanks professor" said the newcomer, walking towards his seat. To everyone's surprise, he stopped a few steps before reaching the place he would be sitting at. He stood there for a moment, staring right into Sakura's eyes, with that peaceful smile of his. Sakura blushed, but did not turn her eyes away from him.

"Uh…"

"Nice to meet you. I hope we can be good friends" he said, cutting off whatever Sakura was going to say. She jumped slightly, startled by his initiative, but smiled back at him as soon as she regained her composure.

"Nice to meet you, too" she replied. Syaoran growled under his breath, while the newcomer walked past by him and sat at his desk.

_**I really don't like this…**_

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Don't you think you're exaggerating a little?" Sakura asked. It was lunch time, and she was sitting under the shade of a tall tree next to Syaoran, who was lying back on the grass looking distressed.

"You think? Then why did that guy talk directly and specially to you? He has not met you before, has he?" he replied, turning slightly to look up at her. Sakura had a thoughtful expression on her face.

"No but…it's sort of weird"

"Weird? What do you mean?"

"Well…I know we haven't met before, but…somehow…I feel like this isn't the first time I've seen him…"

"I feel the same way" came a voice behind them. Sakura turned around, startled, while Syaoran was immediately up to his feet with a jump, turning towards the place where the voice had come. His voice. It was him, Hiragizawa Eriol standing behind them, leaning against the tree. He had a big bright smile on his face.

_**I…I didn't feel his presence…I didn't feel him approaching at all! Just who the hell is this guy?!**_

"What did you say?" Sakura asked, still startled, getting up on her feet too. The boy stared at her with some unreadable emotion on his eyes.

"I said I feel the same way. I also feel this isn't the first time we've met" he said simply. Syaoran just stared at them, not liking what he saw, but also not knowing what to do or say. Sakura blushed slightly, a little uncomfortable with the situation.

"It's a weird feeling, isn't it?" she asked.

"Indeed. I wanted to ask…what's your name?"

"Uh…Kinomoto….Kinomoto Sakura"

"Is it ok for me to call you Sakura?"

"Don't you think that's kind of inappropriate? You just met her!" Syaoran interrupted suddenly, making them both turn to where he was standing.

"Your name is…"

"Li Syaoran. And it's Li to you!" Syaoran stated. Sakura frowned.

"Syaoran, you don't have to be so rude!"

"I'm not being rude! He's the one being rude!"

"But he asked nicely!" Sakura replied, turning once again to face Eriol Hiragizawa "I'm sorry, it's really ok if you call me Sakura"

"Thank you. You can also call me Eriol, dear Sakura" he said, smiling widely. He then turned towards Syaoran "You can also call me Eriol if you like"

"I'd prefer a much more formal approach, if you don't mind" Syaoran replied shortly. He then turned towards Sakura looking somewhat angry "Meanwhile, I guess my presence isn't required here, so I'll see you both after lunch break" he added, just before turning around to leave. Sakura was surprised at his sudden change of behavior.

"Syaoran! Wait! Oh, I'm sorry, Eriol! I'll see you in class, ok?" Sakura said quickly, before taking off after Syaoran. Eriol stared at the couple for a moment, watching as Sakura caught up to him and they started arguing. He chuckled.

"This should be interesting"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tomoyo entered the classroom at her own quite and slow pace, and was genuinely surprised to see Sakura and Syaoran each turning different ways, both seating at their desks, and not speaking to each other at all. She walked towards them and stood between them for a moment before daring to speak herself.

"Did something happen?" she asked simply. Sakura frowned.

"Ask him. He's the one who created this stupid problem" she said. Syaoran jumped at this statement.

"Me? I didn't do anything!"

"Oh yeah, sure you didn't"

"I wasn't the one all over Hiragizawa!"

"Eriol has nothing to do with your paranoia attack!"

"Oh, right, it's Eriol, I forgot!"

"Why do you have so many issues with growing closer to other people?!"

"Why are YOU so naive?!"

"Guys! Guys, please! Stop this!" Tomoyo insisted. At the sound of this, both Sakura and Syaoran groaned and turned opposite ways, crossing their arms in front of their chests. Tomoyo sighed.

"Is something wrong?" said Eriol as he came walking inside the classroom and towards his seat, right behind Tomoyo's. Tomoyo stared at him suspiciously.

"No…nothing" she replied, taking her seat too just as professor Terada came in, starting the next period.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I guess I'll get going, Sakura" Tomoyo said. Both girls were standing at the entrance door of Tomoeda High. The bell had already rung, which marked the end of the day. Under regular circumstances, Sakura would've gone along with Tomoyo, but given her earlier argument with Syaoran, she didn't think it was a good idea to leave him behind.

"Ok, Tomoyo"

"Will you be ok?" she asked with her expression full of worry. Sakura sighed.

"Yeah, it's fine. It was just a stupid fight…"

"I know, but you hadn't had a fight since that time over Yukito-san. And that was a very stressful one. Just be careful, ok? You guys are so right for each other…don't let stupid misunderstandings get in the way of that" Tomoyo said with a smile. Sakura smiled back sincerely.

"Thank you, Tomoyo"

"That's what I'm here for, dear Sakura. Good luck" she added before walking away. Sakura waved at her.

"See you tomorrow!!" she yelled.

"Have I caused you trouble with your boyfriend, Sakura dear?" Sakura jumped as she heard that voice, startled at the fact that Eriol was suddenly standing right next to her, with the same peaceful smile he always seemed to portray.

Sakura turned both ways making sure Syaoran couldn't catch her talking with Eriol before they had had a chance to speak about their argument. After making sure Syaoran was nowhere in sight, she finally addressed Eriol.

"It wasn't your fault, Eriol, really. My boyfriend tends to be a little jealous sometimes, that's all"

"I sort of guessed as much"

"Yeah, well, he better not see me here talking to you when he comes out, at least not today. Not until I've had a chance to speak to him"

"I understand. He doesn't look like a bad person, though"

"He's not! He totally isn't, really. He just…well, he finds it somewhat hard to get close to other people. It wasn't easy for me either when I met him, believe me. But once you know him, he really is very sweet" Sakura said, with a dreamy expression on her face, her eyes shinning with that glow that was particular in the eyes of a girl who was in love. Eriol smiled back at her.

"I can tell you really love Li Syaoran" he commented, making her blush.

"Yeah" she said giggling "I really do love him. I feel embarrassed saying it like that, though!"

"You shouldn't be, it's not a bad thing"

"It's just that…well, we just met…."

"But I find you a very nice and trustworthy person. I think we will be very good friends" he said, still portraying that charming smile. Sakura smiled back.

"That would be nice"

"WHAT would be nice?!" Sakura jumped, genuinely scared by the sudden raise of voice next to them. It was Syaoran, who also had popped out of nowhere and looked extremely jealous. Eriol, on the other hand, hadn't even flinched at this sudden outburst, but merely chuckled at Syaoran's childish reaction.

_**IS THIS GUY MAKING FUN OF ME?!**_

"Oh, hi Li!" he said, waving his hand at the angry boy. Syaoran snatched Sakura's hand with one swift movement, not taking his gaze off Eriol. With one last growl and menacing glare, he started walking away, dragging Sakura with him. Sakura only had time to turn back and wave goodbye at Eriol, mouthing a small 'Sorry' as she and Syaoran left.

Eriol was completely amused by this little scene.

"Li Syaoran…what an interesting person…" he muttered, before walking away in the opposite direction, his glasses shinning under the dim light of the sunset.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sakura was afraid to talk. She and Syaoran were slowly walking down the street, Syaoran turning the opposite side of where she was. She occasionally glanced towards him, feeling nervous. What was he thinking? She wanted to speak to him…but she didn't know where to start…

_**Why is she so quiet?? If you like that dumbass just say so! No…Sakura would never do that to me…still…what is it with that guy? Why do I feel like he's such a threat to me? Sakura loves ME, right? Hell, I know I love her! That should be enough…damn jealousy…**_

"Uh…Syaoran…" Sakura started, startling him a little. He didn't turn to look at her, though "…I…I'm sorry. Are you…uh…jealous?"

"Yes"

"UH?!" Sakura stopped right there, as if hit by that statement. Yes? Was Syaoran actually admitting he was jealous?!

Syaoran stopped a few steps ahead, noticing she had stopped walking. His gaze dropped to the ground. He looked ashamed of himself.

"I'm sorry" he started saying "I guess…I'm guilty of loving you too much for my own good. I don't want…to lose you. I hate fighting with you…but I couldn't help myself…" he confessed, still not looking back. He closed his eyes and sighed.

_**She must think I'm a dork…**_

His eyes went wide open, as Sakura suddenly hugged him from behind. He could hear her cry…

"Sakura…"

"I hate fighting with you! I love you, Syaoran!" she said between sobs, moistening Syaoran's shirt from behind. He smiled, releasing all the tension inside him.

_**Sakura…you're such an innocent girl…**_

Syaoran turned around and hugged Sakura, feeling like he needed to shield her in his arms from the outside world. Why was everyone trying to steal her from him? He would never let her go…

"I will not let anyone take you away from me…" he whispered into her ear, before taking her by the shoulders and pushing her against a nearby wall. Sakura winced at this action and was about to say something against it when Syaoran attacked her lips with an anxiety she had never felt before.

_**Sometimes…I feel like I can't hold back, and I don't understand it myself. She drives me crazy…**_

Ultimately, she had noticed Syaoran seemed more eager in those situations. And in some way, she could feel she was also feeling something similar. Was this part of being a teenager, as they had always told her? She had never been with anyone before Syaoran…not like that…

And…wasn't this a little bit too public?

"Syaoran…" Sakura whispered, blushing as she felt him kissing her neck "We are on the street…"

"Nobody's watching"

"Syaoran, stop…" what was she saying? She didn't want him to! Still…she wasn't very comfortable with being outside like that.

She didn't have time to argue much, though.

_**What the**__**…?!**_

Suddenly, both jumped away from each other, startled. They turned back, towards the way that lead to Penguin Park.

"What was that?! That feeling!" Syaoran exclaimed. Sakura frowned.

"That presence…I've felt it before…but…it can't be…" she said, sounding genuinely confused. Still, they didn't have that much time to think about it. As soon as that feeling came, it was gone.

"Well… I don't know what it was or where it came from, but we can't do anything about it now" Syaoran commented, looking around randomly. Sakura nodded, and suddenly winced as a small and cold drop of water feel directly on her nose. Syaoran was startled too as he felt one himself on the back of his hand.

Before they could even comment about it, they rain was pouring on them.

"Sakura! Hurry, I'll walk you home!" Syaoran exclaimed, taking her hand and pulling her. They ran under the rain for all the way, until they reached the front porch of her house. There, they stood for a moment, gasping for air and soaking wet.

"Oh…my…god…" Sakura whispered, still too out-of-breath to say anything else. Syaoran shook his head to dry the water off his hair, as if he was some wet dog, spraying it all over Sakura, who yelped at it.

"SYAORAN!" she yelled, giggling. She couldn't get mad at him…she was already too wet herself for that to matter. And he knew it too, he was just kidding around.

Syaoran laughed.

"There! Now you really are VERY wet!"

"You're insane!"

"You drive me insane, my dear" he corrected, displaying one of his ever-so-charming smiles. The ones that she knew were dedicated only for her. Sakura smiled back, which only made his smile wider.

"I wanted to see you laugh and smile again. I hate it when I'm the reason of your dismay" Syaoran said, bringing her to him for a hug. Sakura hugged him back tightly.

"It's ok now"

"Well, not everything" he corrected, pulling away from her and looking up to the sky "This rain doesn't feel normal"

"I know, it's so weird…"

"If it hasn't stopped by tomorrow, we should gather at Penguin Park. I have a feeling it started there…"

"Right after classes?"

"No… at night. We have to make sure there's no one there, so we can freely explore the place"

"You're right…"

"Well, you should go inside now…you'll catch a cold" he reminded. Sakura nodded and smiled.

"Ok. I'm glad everything is fine between us now"

"Yeah, me too" Syaoran replied with a sincere smile. Sakura wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, a huge smile adorning her features. Syaoran hugged her back.

_**I hope we don't have anymore of these jealousy issues…I hate them…**_

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"You look so beautiful, Sakura!" exclaimed Tomoyo, as she held up her camera, pointing it turned on at Sakura, while she held a small umbrella over herself with her free hand. Sakura was wearing a beautiful purple and blue outfit Tomoyo herself had designed as always. It was special fabric to cover her from the awful rain that was pouring on Tomoeda and that hadn't stopped since the day before.

It was 11pm at night and they were all standing in the middle of Penguin Park, in front of King Penguin. Syaoran was wearing his usual green chinese fighting robes, not caring if he got wet. He was looking around, trying to spot anything unusual.

_**This rain hasn't stopped since yesterday, and I'm dead sure it's no ordinary rain… that presence we felt yesterday…. I wonder if it has to do with any of these…**_

Yue was standing near a tree, looking solemn. Kero, in his plushie form, was flying next to Tomoyo, a frown portrayed on his face.

"This rain is definitely originated by some magical power I can't recognize right now…" Kero commented, staring at Sakura. Sakura nodded.

"Syaoran and I felt it at the moment the rain started. Once…I dreamt with someone…with that same presence…" she said. Syaoran stared at her in awe.

"You recognized it? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I wasn't sure…I'm still not sure…I mean, it's impossible…"

"What's impossible?" Syaoran insisted. Still, before Sakura could answer anything else, something caught everyone's attention. A great vortex had formed in the sky, and thin tornados of water and wind were starting to form dangerously around them, connecting the earth with the sky. Sakura gasped.

"What's going on here?!" she asked confused. Kero quickly turned into the great lion guardian as a form of precaution.

"Sakura! Do something quickly!" the guardian called in his deep voice. Sakura grabbed her magical key with a serious look on her face.

"Key of Clow! Power of Magic! Power of Light! Surrender the one, the force ignite! Release!!" she exclaimed. But nothing happened. She gasped as she noticed her key was still a key, and she had no magical staff to work with.

"What's going on Sakura?!" yelled Syaoran. Sakura looked at him with fear in her face.

"I can't! I can't turn my key into a staff! It won't change!" she explained.

"Oh my…" Tomoyo muttered with worry. Suddenly, their troubles got worse. Two tornados trapped Yue and Kero, forming almost out of nowhere. Syaoran managed to jump and grab Sakura in time to force her out of the way, since she had been dangerously close to Kero.

"KERO!! YUE!!" Sakura yelled. As soon as she had said this, another tornado formed. This time, catching Tomoyo inside it.

"Boy, are we in trouble…" Syaoran muttered, his eyes widened at such phenomenon. Sakura, on the other hand, was on the verge of tears. Her friends….Yue….Kero…Tomoyo…they'd drown! And she wouldn't be able to save them!

"Wait here!" Syaoran exclaimed, extracting his pendant and turning it into a sword. With that, he jumped towards the tornado that held Tomoyo inside and charged at it.

He was instantly repelled by the water around it.

With a loud THUD!, Syaoran fell on his back to the ground.

"ARGH!"

"SYAORAN!" Sakura screamed, running towards him and helping him up to his feet again. Syaoran looked extremely stressed.

"I can't get inside! There's some kind of field around the tornados…" he explained, panting. Sakura fell to her knees.

What would they do now?

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Hope you liked it! Please R & R!!


	19. Someone better

Hi guys! Sorry, I won't be answering reviews here anymore, but you can be sure that I read all of them and that I appreciate all of your feedback!

I know it took me a loooong time, but I was going through a hard time and I also had tons of work that needed to be done.

I finally got enough inspiration (and time) to continue, I hope you guys are still interested since it's been ages.

Well, without further ado, I'll proceed.

**Chapter 19 – Someone better**

Sakura slowly opened her eyes, feeling the light in the room forcing her to do so even slower. The first thing that came into her line of view was the face of Tomoyo, her best friend.

"Tomoyo…"

"SAKURA! Thank goodness, you're awake! Finally!" she exclaimed with tears in her eyes. Sakura rubbed her eyes a little before building up the strength to get up and sit on the bed. She was in her own bedroom, she could see that now. What had happened?

_**I… I remember I was … at Penguin Park… Oh! We were in trouble! And then… then…!**_

"Wow... did that really happen?" she asked, still in a sleepy voice "I remember… changing the staff… and the card that I used. I used my own magic. It wasn't Clow's, it was mine…"

"Oh, yes! Sakura, it was soooo awesome! I'm starting to think that a whole new set of adventures is about to begin!" Tomoyo exclaimed in a dreamy expression, her eyes glittering at just the thought of taping the whole thing. Sakura had to sweatdrop at this.

_**I guess it just can't be helped. It really sounds like a big deal, though. But Tomoyo makes it sound like super hero stuff.  
**_

"Geez, Tomoyo, you never change…"

"Don't expect me to. But tell me, how are you feeling?"

_**Uh…good question**_

"Uhm… I don't know, I guess I'm fine… what happened exactly?"

"You fell asleep! You saved everyone and fell asleep. Kero said that it was due to the amount of magical power you had to use and how you're really not used to doing so"

"How long was I asleep?"

"A whole day!"

"WHAT?!"

"Don't worry, I told Professor Terada you were sick and he said it was ok since you never skip school anyways"

"Where's Kero and Yue?"

"They said they had to discuss something, so they left for a bit. I suppose they'll be back soon"

"Hey! Wait a minute! What about Syaoran?! He was injured! Is he alright?" Sakura exclaimed suddenly, remembering previous events. Tomoyo stared at her with her eyes widened, as if not believing something.

"Uh… did I say something weird?" Sakura insisted. Tomoyo shook her head.

"No, it's just that… haven't you seen him? He's right there…" she said, motioning with her head to the left. Sakura followed the signal with her gaze to the opposite corner of her room, where she indeed found Syaoran. He was sitting on a chair, with his back arched downwards and facing the ground. His expression was sad and gloomy, which gave Sakura a really bad feeling.

_**He was here the whole time? Why wasn't he right here beside me?**_

"Syaoran! I didn't see you there! Are you ok?" she asked. He didn't even move his head to face her. In fact, he didn't move and inch.

"I'm fine" he replied sharply. Sakura felt cold.

_**What's going on? I have never heard Syaoran talking to me so coldly. Not since that time when he first came and… he hated me…**_

"Uhm… is something wrong?" she had to ask. It was just too weird.

"Nothing. I'm glad you're fine. See you at school" he said, just before getting up really fast and storming out of the room without even glancing at her once. Sakura just stared at the door blankly for a few seconds before Tomoyo got up from her chair and stormed out too after him.

Rushing down the stairs and out the front door, she managed to catch him before he reached the street through the front yard, yanking his right arm from behind. He shoved her off rather rudely.

"Let go!"

"You have to go back and apologize to Sakura! That was so mean! What the hell is wrong with you?!" she scolded, visibly pissed off at his attitude. Syaoran remained unresponsive for a while, evading her gaze.

"It's none of your business" he simply replied, which had Tomoyo fuming with anger.

"Hey! You were the one all worried about Sakura just a few hours ago! And she's your girlfriend, for crying out loud!"

"I'll break up with her tomorrow at school, then"

"WHAT?!"

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" he exclaimed, turning around and leaving for good. Tomoyo was left alone, standing there and staring in the direction he had left. She sighed. She could just be glad that Sakura hadn't been there to hear that, which gave her time to do something about it before it happened.

When she turned around, though, Sakura was standing at the doorway, clutching the fabric of her blouse on her chest, over her heart.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sakura felt her heart thumping as she saw Syaoran coming towards her on the corner of her eye. She was just closing her shoe locker, ready to head towards the classroom.

_**Why so early? Give me a break…**_

"I didn't see you at the usual spot today" was his only greeting. Sakura tried not to turn and look at him. She didn't want him to see her eyes as swollen as they were.

"Does it matter? You want to break up with me anyways"

"Oh… Tomoyo told you?"

"I heard you"

"Right…" there was an awkward silence between them after that, none of them knowing what to say or do.

_**What is he waiting for? My permission? If you are not going to explain why you're doing this to me all of a sudden, then get the hell away from me!**_

"You're free then. Bye" she finally said, not standing the discomfort any longer. Syaoran just stood there for a while, just enough for Tomoyo to catch up to him.

"Morning, lonewolf" she said coldly while she opened her shoe locker. He growled at her in response.

"What do you know? You've never been in a relationship yourself!"

"And men like you don't exactly promote relationships, you know?"

"It's better this way"

"Oh, yeah, I think Sakura really enjoyed herself last night crying her eyes out to sleep" Tomoyo replied in sarcasm, making Syaoran flinch.

"She won't miss me that much afterwards"

"WHY DO YOU KEEP SAYING THAT?! What's wrong with you?! The woman's been ASLEEP, for crying out loud! What could she have possibly done to deserve all this from you?!" Tomoyo demanded, slamming her hand loudly against the lockers. Syaoran shook his head.

"It's me who doesn't deserve a girl like Sakura"

"What?"

"What kind of man ends up being saved by his woman? Face it, I could've died in my silly attempts of protecting her against those stupid tornados! I've become the fucking damsel in distress, I'm pathetic"

"Is that really what this is about? Your ego?"

"My ability to protect her" he corrected, glaring at her "I call myself a Chinese warrior, but I've become just a simple teenage boy. I think she deserves better. She's not a simple teenage girl, after all" he added, walking past Tomoyo and heading to the classroom in silence. Tomoyo didn't know what to respond to that. She knew it wasn't a reason not to be with Sakura, but she could still understand how Syaoran felt about the whole situation.

They needed to talk.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"May I join you?" Eriol asked as he saw Sakura sitting all alone during lunch break, absent-mindedly playing with the food in her obento. Sakura nodded without turning to look at him.

Eriol sat on the bench next to her, opening his own obento and taking a mouthful of white rice. There was a long silence while he chewed, and he concluded Sakura wasn't going to talk unless she had to answer stuff.

"Why are you alone, dear Sakura?" he inquired. Sakura still wouldn't turn to look at him.

"Tomoyo has piano practice"

"What about your boyfriend?" this question made Sakura flinch, dropping some rice out of her obento to the floor. This didn't go unnoticed by Eriol.

_**Stay focused, Sakura… focused…**_

"I don't have one" she replied as casually as she could. Eriol debated with himself a little before talking again.

"Do you have plans for the afternoon?"

"Tomoyo's got piano practice, so I guess I'll head straight home"

"Do you want to go out with me?"

"What?!" the unexpectedness of the request made Sakura completely drop her obento to the floor face down, food spreading everywhere. Eriol looked alarmed by this.

_**There goes my focus.**_

"I'm sorry! Maybe it wasn't the time! Let me get you something from the cafeteria!"

"No, no, it's ok! I'm not really hungry…"

"But you have to eat something!"

"Really, it's ok. Maybe you could…" Sakura took in a deep breath before continuing her unfinished sentence "…maybe you could just treat me to something after school, instead"

Eriol stared at her blankly for a moment.

_**What am I doing? I have no interest in Eriol whatsoever! But… I really don't want to be alone…**_

"Sure… I'll be delighted to do so" Eriol finally added, smiling sweetly at her. Sakura tried hard to smile back, even though she didn't feel like it. Eriol shook his head.

"What?"

"You shouldn't force yourself. I know you're unhappy. You can drop the act around me, you'll feel lots better" he confirmed. Sakura felt her eyes watering.

_**What's going on? I said I wouldn't…. I wouldn't cry today… **_

"Thank you, Eriol…"

"It's ok, Sakura. Come…" he said, opening his arms in a welcoming expression. That was too much for her. She threw her arms around him and just let herself cry freely into his chest. She needed some venting after what had happened in the morning.

_**I can't…. I can't stand it! I can't even think about him! I love him so much… why is this happening? What did I do?!**_

Eriol simply wrapped his arms around her and let her cry. Distracted as she was, Sakura didn't notice Eriol when he raised his gaze and met Syaoran's, who had been watching the whole scene from the top branch of a nearby tree.

Both boys exchanged challenging glares while the girl cried her heart out, a heart that still wanted to belong to him…

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Eriol and Sakura walked side by side through the school corridors, heading towards the front entrance. It was late already, Eriol and Sakura had stayed behind working on some of their assignments and the school was already empty.

"Thanks for helping me out today, Eriol" Sakura said. If it hadn't been for his help, she would've still been behind on stuff because of the day she wasn't able to assist.

"It's ok, you needed the help. And Miss Daidouji wasn't around to give it as she would've wanted to" he replied. Just as he was uttering this sentence, they heard it. The sound of the piano playing, along with Tomoyo's beautiful voice.

"Wow… Tomoyo really is giving it her best"

_**I know Tomoyo is really worried about the festival, so I need to be strong when she can't be supporting me. She has her own problems after all.**_

"Miss Daidouji sings? When you said piano practice, I thought she was the one playing it"

"Oh, she is. This is the first time she will do both, she's going to do it as part of this semester's cultural festival, and she's pretty excited about it"

"She has a beautiful voice. Besides, it takes a great amount of musical ability to play an instrument while you sing, Miss Daidouji is really talented" Eriol commented, sounding sincerely delighted.

_**Mmm… Now that I think about it, Tomoyo and Eriol are both highly intellectual and talented… they would make a really good couple. But I don't think that is going to happen. After all, they don't really talk to each other that much.**_

"Yeah, I really admire her for it"

"Well, I have to go to the restroom before leaving, you can go ahead and I'll see you at your place in a while, is that ok?" he asked. Sakura nodded.

"Ok, I'll see you then" she replied, watching him leave. She started walking and passed the music classroom in silence, not wanting to interrupt Tomoyo's practice.

"Hey" she was startled when she heard his voice as she reached the locker room. Syaoran was standing there in front of her with his back leaned against a line of lockers.

_**Why now? I was so at ease already…**_

"Hey" she replied simply.

"Uhm… can we talk?"

"Not now, I'm in a hurry"

"Oh… you have a date?"

"Something like that"

_**Let's see what he thinks about THAT!**_

"It's kinda… fast, don't you think?"

"You breaking up with me was also fast" she replied as a challenge, glaring at him. Syaoran sighed.

"I… I think I need to explain…" Syaoran was about to gather enough courage to saw something coherent when they felt it.

"There it is! It's Clow's presence!" Sakura exclaimed just before a loud scream was heard.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Tomoyo!" Sakura yelled, running towards the music classroom and followed by Syaoran. She quickly opened the door just to see Tomoyo crouched against the opposite corner of the classroom in fear.

"Sakura! The piano! It's alive!" she exclaimed, pointing at the huge instrument. Sakura and Syaoran both turned to see that, indeed, the piano was moving. Very discreetly and slowly, but it was moving.

_**What the hell is going on here?!**_

"Oh my god…" Sakura mouthed. Syaoran frowned.

"Daidouji, quickly! You have to come over here!" he ordered. Tomoyo nodded

"Yeah, I'll try!" she said and proceeded to go over to them when the piano seemed to notice her and floated towards her just as if someone had launched it in that direction.

"TOMOYO!" Sakura screamed, quickly jumping towards her friend and pushing her to safety. The piano slammed itself against the opposite wall.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked, still holding on to Tomoyo.

"I don't know! It just started moving suddenly! At first I thought I was just going mad because I was tired for all the practice I was going through!"

"Sakura! Just now you said you felt a presence! Did you mean…?" Syaoran inquired, not knowing how to finish the question. Sakura frowned and nodded.

"I'm positive about it now! It's Clow's presence!"

"But how can it be? Clow is dead!" Tomoyo pointed out.

"That's what had me doubting it at first, but now—"

"THUNDER GOD! COME FORTH!" Syaoran yelled, sword in hand. He invoked an enchantment of thunder to stop the piano that had been heading towards them the moment Tomoyo started speaking again.

"OH!" Tomoyo exclaimed

"Daidouji, be quiet! I think this piano is following your voice!" Syaoran warned. Sakura gasped.

"That's right! That's why it starts moving when Tomoyo speaks!" Sakura added "And that gives me an idea!"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Ok, Tomoyo, you have to start singing when I tell you, ok?" Sakura said. Tomoyo nodded.

They had managed to escape from the piano and lock themselves at the roof of the building. Tomoyo was standing a few meters in front of the door, with her back to the security fence.

"I'll cover you" Syaoran indicated, sword in hand, and Sakura nodded.

"Ok….NOW!" Sakura indicated. Tomoyo started singing.

"Key that hides the power of the stars! Show your true form before me! I, Sakura, command you under our contract! RELEASE!" Sakura exclaimed, transforming her magical key into the new star staff created with her own magic powers. Then, she extracted the right card.

"Card created by Clow! Abandon your old form and reincarnate under the name of your new master, Sakura! SONG!" she invoked, turning The Song into a Sakura Card. The form of the song started copying Tomoyo's voice, which was Tomoyo's cue to shut up and get out of the way.

Just in time, since the piano burst through the roof door and towards The Song. Since it wasn't a solid form, it went through the security fence and down to the floor, smashing into pieces.

The three teenagers stared at it in awe.

"I think… it's no longer moving" Tomoyo said. Sakura received the card back to its original form.

"Yeah… it's… over…" she managed to say, before once again drifting into sleep and fainting. Syaoran managed to catch her in his arms just in time.

"Oh no… she fell asleep again" Tomoyo commented. Syaoran nodded.

"I guess she still needs some getting used to"

"Li, you should also get used to the fact that you can't always be her knight in shining armor"

"Uh?"

"Sometimes Sakura just needs someone supporting her. There are things that only she can do, don't go around thinking you can do them for her. That time with the tornados, I think she was the one meant to deal with them, not you. That's why you couldn't do much. But just like today, you should always be there helping her. You were pretty awesome today, after all" she complimented, smiling warmly.

Syaoran stared at her in disbelief. Tomoyo was always the one yelling at him when he screwed up in his relationship with Sakura and now she was kindly giving him advice. This was new.

"I… guess you're right…"

"I'm always right! Don't ever forget that!" Tomoyo scolded playfully, making Syaoran chuckle a little.

This small scene of tranquility didn't go unnoticed by someone standing on the roof of the contiguous building, holding up a huge golden staff, staring at them with solemnity….

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Once again, Sakura found herself slowly opening her eyes and waiting for them to adjust to the light in her bedroom.

She felt a little less tired than the time it had happened before, but she felt just as disoriented.

Slowly, she got up on her elbows and ended up in a sitting position. She rubbed her eyes a little and then looked around.

Her eyes locked on the flower arrangement resting on her desk.

It was a beautiful combination of lilies and roses, with some purple pansies here and there in contrast. Not only was it beautiful, but it was also huge.

"Sakura…"

Sakura jumped at the sound of his voice and looked down. It was then when she noticed him there, half kneeling on the floor and half resting on the side of the bed, soundly asleep. He had said her name in his dreams.

"Syaoran…" she voiced, caressing his hair with her left hand. Seeing him there so peacefully brought a smile to her face. Somehow, their problems seemed trivial compared to the love she felt for him. She didn't want anyone else, she just wanted him.

"Sakura… I'm… sorry…" he said now, still asleep. Sakura had to giggle at this. She had never seen him asleep, so she didn't know he talked. It was the most amusing discovery.

"My poor Syaoran…" she whispered, leaning down to kiss his head. This startled him enough to make him open his eyes. When he did, it took him a minute to realize where he was.

Once he did, he stood up in a jump, straight and tense.

"OH! Hey… Sakura… I'm sorry I fell asleep… I… I was just…" he had been rehearsing what to say, yet he had fallen asleep and was now caught off guard for it. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"You have tons of explaining to deal with here, Li Syaoran!" she scolded. Syaoran nodded.

"I know! I'm sorry, I just… I… I felt…" he found himself hopeless and sighed. He dropped himself on his knees again, feeling defeated "I'm sorry, I'm just so afraid of saying this…"

"You're afraid of me?"

"No! It's more like… I'm afraid of admitting it in front of you, of what you'll think. Of what you must already be thinking"

"Please explain"

"I…" Syaoran got stuck with the words for a while, Sakura just glaring at him with her arms crossed in front of her chest, still sitting on the bed. After what seemed like an eternity, he just sighed "I love you"

"Oh no! You're not getting away with just that!"

"Wait! Let me finish! I love you, Sakura, that's why I thought I wasn't right for you! I mean, there you are risking your life fighting against the unknown and I was able to do absolutely nothing! In fact, you sort of saved me. It was pretty humiliating not being able to take care of you properly, I felt… like I failed you…" he said, dropping his face against the covers, hiding from her response. Sakura just stared at him in awe.

_**Is that what it was? Oh Syaoran, you're such an idiot… **_

"You're an idiot"

"I know… I'm sorry…"

"You should be. Anyways, I love you too much to care about those stupid things you just mention, so I'm deciding to ignore the whole thing"

"Uh?!" he raised his head and stared at her in disbelief "Are you're saying you're fine with it?"

"I'm saying it's stupid because it's all wrong anyways. You are the total opposite of useless, Syaoran. There are just things that you can do and things that I have to do on my own. You have to realize that" she said, smiling sweetly at him. Syaoran was still confused.

"Uh…so you're not mad at me?"

"OF COURSE I'M MAD AT YOU! YOU BROKE UP WITH ME, YOU STUPID CHINESE BRAT!"

"I'll make it up to you! I swear!" Syaoran exclaimed, covering his head. Sakura giggled.

"How exactly are you going to make up for that? I'm very high-maintenance, you know" Sakura said, adding a little seductive tone to the end of her speech. Syaoran caught up to it in no time, and he was sitting on the bed beside her in just a blink of the eye.

"Oh… well… I was planning to… if, of course, you don't mind it's just useless old me… but I was planning to warm up your mood a little" he whispered, adding a slight growl under his breath at the end of the sentence, bringing his face close to hers and rubbing his nose against her own. Sakura giggled some more.

"I guess it has to be useless old you. Do I stand a choice?" she replied in the same low tone, letting him slip to the side and nibble on her ear. She closed her eyes, pleased with his actions.

"No… I guess you really don't…" he replied, his hot breath tickling her ear and making her feel things she didn't understand. She shivered a little and then felt suddenly cold.

"Syaoran?" she asked, opening her eyes and noticing he was up on his feet again, blushing furiously.

"Uhm… I'm sorry, Sakura. Again. But… well… we are in your house… in your bedroom… and your dad's downstairs…"

"Oh… right…" she felt the color rise to her cheeks at that thought. They had been… just… well, she didn't know what to call it, but it wasn't appropriate in their current situation. She smiled shyly at him.

Oh, Syaoran, you are always the gentleman…

"Uh… I think I'll be leaving know. I am in need of a cold shower" he announced, making her giggle.

"I guess so"

"I'll see you tomorrow, beautiful" he said, kissing her forehead "Thanks for forgiving me"

"Oh, don't say that! You still owe me some compensation!" she demanded. Syaoran blushed even harder and chuckled nervously.

"I'll gladly see to that debt, honey. Tomorrow"

He flashed her his casually crooked smile and waved a quick goodbye, disappearing through her bedroom door.

Sakura dropped back against her pillows and sighed.

_**It's difficult being a teenager.**_

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

There goes nothing!

It's a bit weird… I don't know, I sort of… didn't know how to put my ideas together. I need feedback, people!

Oh and another inquiry for today. They're obviously going to… uhm… you know what. The story will eventually lead us there. I don't write lemons, but I could be as explicit as a T rated fanfic can be… or leave it more to the imagination. What do you think? I don't want to ruin my story.

Thanks for reading! Please review!


End file.
